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OARAMINTA  STORIE 


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IABELLA  PICKED  A  POPPY 


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ARABELLA  PICKED  A  POP 


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THE  ARABELLA  AND 
ARAMINTA  STORIES  By 

Gertrude  Smith  with  an  Intro 
duction  by  Mary  E  Wilkins 
Embellished  with  XV  Illustra 
tive  designs  by  Ethel  Reed  and 
Explanatory  Notes  by  the 
Author  of  the  book 


YEL- 
LIBRARY 

BOSTON    . 
COPELAND  AND  DAY 
MDCCCXCV 


COPYRIGHT    BY    COPELAND    AND    DAY    1895 


TO 

MY  LITTLE  FRIEND 

ELISABETH  CHAMBERLIN 

WHO  WAS  THE  FIRST  TO  KNOW 

AND  THE  FIRST  TO  LOVE  OUR 

DEAR  ARABELLA  AND  OUR  DEAR 

ARAMINTA 


TO  THE  LITTLE  READERS 

MAY  all  you  dears  who  read  this  book 

With  eyes  of  black  or  blue, 
Find  herein  some  little  joys 

That  make  your  own  seem  true, 
And  feel,  although  'tis  winter  time, 

You're  picking  poppies,  too. 

You  with  these  little  sisters  twain 

Can  pretty  bubbles  blow, 
And  set  them  floating  in  the  light 

Until  the  rainbows  show; 
For  they  will  let  you  play  with  them 

Whene'er  you  like,  I  know. 

And  if  you're  sad  because  you  have 
No  more  birthdays  this  year, 

Why  they  will  let  you  share  with  them 
Their  merry  birthday  here, 

And  make  room  'neath  their  cherry-tree 
For  many  another  dear. 


TO  THE    LITTLE    READERS 

And  if  you  little  fond  mammas 
Should  lose  your  dolls  some  day, 

Read  how  these  little  girls  found  theirs, 
And  dry  your  tears,  I  pray; 

For  I  am  sure  that  you'll  find  yours 
In  just  the  self-same  way! 

And  may  you  dears,  who  o'er  this  book 
Bend  heads  of  black  or  gold, 

Feel  'tis  to  each  and  every  one 
These  simple  tales  are  told, 

With  wishes  for  all  sweets  of  life 
Your  little  hands  can  hold. 

MARY  E.  WILKINS. 


CONTENTS 

Poppy  Story  Page  i 

Celebration  Story  8 

Lost  Dolly  Story  12 

Romping  Plays  18 

Shopping-Day  Story  24 

A  Story  in  the  Woods  28 

Soap-Bubble  Story  39 

Sleepy-Time  Story  44 

Pretend  Plays  52 

The  Hurt  Day  57 

Christmas  Story  64 

The  Great  Surprise  74 

Sunday  Story  83 

Animal-Cracker  Story  88 

The  Birthday  Party  94 


POPPY  STORY 

HERE  YOU  MEET  ON  A  BRIGHT 
SUMMER  DAY  THE  TWO  LITTLE 
GIRLS  OF  OUR  STORY 

AABELLA  was  four  years  old,  and 
Araminta  was  four  years  old. 
Arabella  had  blue  eyes  and  yellow 
hair,   and  Araminta   had  brown   eyes  and 
yellow  hair.      Arabella  was  a  very  pretty 
little  girl,  and  Araminta  was  a  very  pretty 
little  girl. 

And  sometimes  Arabella  was  naughty 
when  Araminta  was  good,  and  sometimes 
Araminta  was  naughty  when  Arabella  was 
good. 

Arabella  lived  in  a  white  house  on  a  green 
hill,  and  Araminta  lived  in  a  white  house  on 
a  green  hill.  —  (It  was  the  same  house,  of 
course,  you  know,  and  the  same  hill,  of 
course,  you  know,  for  Arabella  and  Araminta 
were  little  twin  sisters.)  Arabella's  mamma 


2  POPPY    STORY 

was  Araminta' s  mamnia,  and  Arabella's  papa 
was  Araminta5  s  papa. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  back  of  their  house, 
was  a  large  field  of  poppies.  And  one  day 
Arabella  ran  down  the  hill,  and  away  out 
into  the  field  of  poppies,  and  Araminta  ran 
down  the  hill,  and  away  out  into  the  field  of 
poppies. 

And  Arabella  picked  a  poppy,  and  Ara 
minta  picked  a  poppy,  and  Arabella  picked 
a  poppy,  and  Araminta  picked  a  poppy,  and 
Arabella  picked  a  poppy,  and  Araminta 
picked  a  poppy,  and  Arabella  picked  a  poppy, 
and  Araminta  picked  a  poppy,  and  Arabella 
picked  a  poppy,  and  Araminta  picked  a 
poppy,  until  they  each  had  a  great  big  bunch 
(I  should  say  a  very  large  bunch),  and  then 
they  ran  back  to  the  house. 

Arabella  got  a  glass  and  put  her  poppies 
in  it,  and  Araminta  got  a  glass  and  put  her 
poppies  in  it. 


POPPY    STORY  3 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands  and 
danced  around  the  table.  And  Araminta 
clapped  her  hands  and  danced  around  the 
table. 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  I 'd  like  a  bunch 
of  clovers,  too ! ' 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I'd  like  a 
bunch  of  clovers,  too!" 

Out  at  the  side  of  their  house,  on  the 
side  of  the  hill,  red  and  white  clovers  were 
growing  thick.  And  Arabella  ran  out  into 
the  clover,  and  Araminta  ran  out  into  the 
clover.  And  Arabella  picked  a  red  clover, 
and  Araminta  picked  a  white  clover,  and 
Arabella  picked  a  white  clover,  and  Araminta 
picked  a  red  clover,  and  Arabella  picked  a 
red  clover,  and  Araminta  picked  a  white 
clover,  and  Arabella  picked  a  white  clover, 
and  Araminta  picked  a  red  clover,  until  they 
each  had  a  very  large  bunch,  —  and  then 
they  went  back  to  the  house. 


4  POPPY    STORY 

Arabella  got  a  glass  and  put  her  clovers 
in  it,  and  Araminta  got  a  glass  and  put  her 
clovers  in  it. 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands  and 
danced  around  the  table,  and  Araminta 
clapped  her  hands  and  danced  around  the 
table. 

And  Arabella  said,  "  Oh,  1 5d  like  a  bunch 
of  daisies,  too!5 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I'd  like  a 
bunch  of  daisies,  too!55 

Out  on  the  other  side  of  their  house,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  hill,  the  daisies  were 
growing  thick.  And  Arabella  ran  out  of 
the  house,  and  out  among  the  daisies,  and 
Araminta  ran  out  of  the  house,  and  out 
among  the  daisies. 

And  Arabella  picked  a  daisy,  and  Ara 
minta  picked  a  daisy,  and  Arabella  picked 
a  daisy,  and  Araminta  picked  a  daisy,  and 
Arabella  picked  a  daisy,  and  Araminta 


POPPY    STORY  5 

picked  a  daisy,  and  Arabella  picked  a  daisy, 
and  Araminta  picked  a  daisy,  and  Arabella 
picked  a  daisy,  and  Araminta  picked  a  daisy, 
and  Arabella  picked  a  daisy,  and  Araminta 
picked  a  daisy,  until  they  each  had  a  very 
large  bunch,  —  and  then  they  ran  back  to 
the  house. 

Arabella  got  a  glass  and  put  her  daisies 
in  it,  and  Araminta  got  a  glass  and  put  her 
daisies  in  it. 

Arabella  clapped  her  hands  and  danced 
around  the  table,  and  Araminta  clapped  her 
hands  and  danced  around  the  table. 
i;  And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  Pd  like  a  bunch 
of  roses,  too ! 9 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  Pd  like  a 
bunch  of  roses,  too!" 

Out  in  front  of  their  house  were  a  great 
many  rose-bushes  covered  with  beautiful 
roses.  And  Arabella  ran  out  into  the  front 
yard,  and  down  among  the  rose-bushes,  and 


6  POPPY    STORY 

Araminta  ran  out  into  the  front  yard,  and 
down  among  the  rose-bushes. 

And  Arabella  picked  a  yellow  rose,  and 
Araminta  picked  a  white  rose. 

And  Arabella  said,  "  Oh,  I  Ve  got  a  thorn 
in  my  thumb!" 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I've  got  a 
thorn  in  my  thumb!9 

And  Arabella  screamed,  and  Araminta 
screamed. 

And  Arabella  ran  into  the  house  and 
upstairs  to  her  mother,  and  Araminta  ran 
into  the  house  and  upstairs  to  her  mother. 

And  Arabella's  mother  picked  the  thorn 
out  of  Arabella's  thumb,  and  Araminta' s 
mother  picked  the  thorn  out  of  Araminta' s 
thumb.  (It  was  the  same  mother,  you 
remember,  for  Arabella  and  Araminta  were 
little  twin  sisters,  you  remember.) 

And  their  mother  said  to  them,  "Now, 
dears,  take  your  little  scissors  and  cut  the 


POPPY    STORY  7 

roses,  for  I  can't  be  picking  out  thorns  all 
the  forenoon.55  (She  always  said  "all  the 
forenoon.") 

Arabella  took  her  little  scissors,  and 
Araminta  took  her  little  scissors,  and  ran 
out  into  the  rose-bushes  again. 

And  Arabella  snipped  a  red  rose,  and 
Araminta  snipped  a  white  rose,  and  Ara 
bella  snipped  a  pink  rose,  and  Araminta 
snipped  a  yellow  rose,  and  Arabella  snipped 
a  scarlet  rose,  and  Araminta  snipped  a  blush 
rose,  until  they  each  had  a  very  large  bunch, 
— and  then  they  ran  back  to  the  house. 

Arabella  got  a  glass  and  put  her  roses 
in  it,  and  Araminta  got  a  glass  and  put  her 
roses  in  it. 

Arabella  clapped  her  hands  and  danced 
around  the  table,  and  Araminta  clapped  her 
hands  and  danced  around  the  table. 


CELEBRATION    STORY 

O  WHAT  FUN  THEY  HAD:  WHAT 
NOISETHEYMADE:  AND  WHAT  A 
HAPPY  FOURTH  OF  JULY 

IT  was  the  Fourth  of  July,  the  glorious 
Fourth  of  July.  And  Arabella  and 
Araminta  were  going  to  have  a  splendid 
time.  What  do  you  suppose  they  were 
going  to  do?  Why,  four  little  girls  and 
four  little  boys  had  come  to  play  with  them, 
and  they  were  going  to  have  a  Celebration! 

Out  in  the  yard  at  the  side  of  their  house 
they  were  going  to  have  a  Celebration. 

All  the  four  little  girls  were  dressed  in 
red,  white,  and  blue ;  and  all  the  four  little 
boys  were  dressed  in  red,  white,  and  blue; 
and  every  one  carried  a  flag. 

And  Arabella  and  Araminta  were  dressed 
in  red,  white,  and  blue ;  and  of  course  they 
each  had  a  flag  like  the  others. 

Oh,  but  didn't  they  all  look  pretty  as 


CELEBRATION    STORY         9 

they  ran  about  in  the  yard!  And  Arabella's 
and  Araminta's  father  called  them  and  said, 
"Now,  we  will  march,  dear  children.55 

So  they  all  marched  around  and  around 
in  the  yard,  and  waved  their  flags  in  the  air. 
And  they  sang  as  they  marched,  and  they 
said  as  they  marched,  "Hurrah  for  the 
Fourth  of  July ! "  "  Hurrah  for  the  Fourth 
of  July ! '  They  sang  as  they  marched,  and 
they  said  as  they  marched,  "Hurrah  for  the 
Fourth  of  July!" 

Then  Arabella's  and  Araminta's  father 
gave  them  every  one  a  red-white-and-blue 
balloon.  He  took  the  flags  away. 

And  they  marched  around  the  yard,  and 
sailed  their  balloons  in  the  air.  And  they 
sang  as  they  marched,  and  they  said  as  they 
marched,  "Hurrah  for  the  Fourth  of  July!' 

And  when  they  were  tired  of  marching, 
Arabella's  and  Araminta's  father  gave  every 
one  a  package  of  torpedoes.  And  they 


io       CELEBRATION    STORY 

every  one  found  a  stone,  a  nice  flat  stone. 
(Oh,  this  was  the  greatest  fun!)  They 
every  one  fired  their  torpedoes! 

Pop !  pop !  they  would  go,  with  a  crack 
and  a  bang.  Pop!  pop!  they  would  go, 
with  a  great  big  noise.  Crack!  crack!  bang! 
bang!  all  the  torpedoes  going  at  once.  I 
tell  you  it  made  a  noise! 

And  when  the  torpedoes  were  gone,  and 
it  was  beginning  to  get  quite  dark,  Ara 
bella's  and  Araminta's  papa  said  to  them, 
"Now,  children,  all  go  and  sit  on  the  porch 
and  watch  me." 

So  they  all  sat  down  in  a  row  on  the 
porch,  and  this  nice  papa  built  a  bonfire  out 
in  the  yard, — a  big,  big  bonfire  out  in  the 
yard.  And  then  he  called:  "Come,  chil 
dren,  and  we  will  all  join  hands  and  dance 
around  the  fire." 

So  they  all  danced  around  and  around 
the  bonfire.  And  they  sang  as  they  danced, 


CELEBRATION    STORY       n 

and  they  said  as  they  danced,  "Hurrah  for 
the  Fourth  of  July!" 

And  when  they  had  danced  until  they 
were  tired,  they  all  sat  down  on  the  porch 
again.  And  it  was  now  quite  dark,  and 
Arabella's  and  Araminta's  papa  gave  them 
some  fireworks.  There  were  sky-rockets 
that  shot  their  beautiful  lights  in  the  air, 
very,  very  high  in  the  air.  Oh,  these 
delighted  the  children!  And  there  were 
wonderful  spinning-wheels  of  fire,  little 
wheels  of  colored  fire,  and  these  delighted 
the  children.  And  there  were  many  other 
fireworks  besides,  whose  names  I  do  not 
remember. 

And  at  last  when  the  fireworks  were  over 
the  children  went  home. 


LOST  DOLLY  STORY 

JUST  READ  WHAT  A  FRIGHT 
THEY  HAD!  NO  WONDER  THEY 
CRIED,  POOR  DEARS! 

AABELLA  had  three  dolls,  and  Ara- 
minta  had  three  dolls. 
Arabella  had  a  big  doll  and  a  little 
doll  and  a  middling-sized  doll,  and  Araminta 
had  a  big  doll  and  a  little  doll  and  a  mid 
dling-sized  doll. 

Arabella's  big  doll's  name  was  Cora  Dora 
Eloise  Bell,  and  Araminta's  big  doll's  name 
was  Flora  Nora  Eloise  Nell. 

Arabella's  little  doll's  name  was  Gene- 
vieve  Augusta  Margaret  Millie,  and 
Araminta's  little  doll's  name  was  Dorothy 
Eleutheria  Juliet  Tillie.  '••''*] 

And  Arabella's  little  doll  was  a  baby  doll, 
and  dressed  in  long  white  baby  clothes,  and 
Araminta's  little  doll  was  a  baby  doll,  and 
dressed  in  long  white  baby  clothes. 


LOST    DOLLY    STORY        13 

And  Arabella's  middling-sized  doll  was 
a  boy  doll,  and  what  do  you  suppose  his 
name  was  ?  And  Araminta's  middling-sized 
doll  was  a  boy  doll,  and  what  do  you  sup 
pose  his  name  was? 

Why,  Arabella's  boy  doll's  name  was 
Herbert  Stanley  Waterloo  Fred,  and  Ara 
minta's  boy  doll's  name  was  Clarence  Em 
erson  Waterloo  Ned. 

Arabella's  papa  named  Arabella's  dolls, 
and  Araminta's  papa  named  Araminta's 
dolls.  Was  n't  he  a  funny  big  papa 
to  give  those  dolls  such  funny  long 
names  ? 

Arabella  had  a  doll  carriage,  and  Ara- 
minta  had  a  doll  carriage. 

And  Arabella  would  put  her  three  dolls 
in  her  doll  carriage,  and  Araminta  would 
put  her  three  dolls  in  her  doll  carriage,  and 
take  them  for  long  beautiful  rides.  All 
around  the  front  yard,  and  all  around  the 


i4       LOST    DOLLY    STORY 

back  yard,  they  would  take  their  dolls  to 
ride. 

And  Arabella  looked  into  her  doll  car 
riage  and  said,  "Oh,  dear,  dear!  my  baby 
doll,  Genevieve  Augusta  Margaret  Millie, 
is  going  to  sleep ! ' 

And  Araminta  looked  into  her  doll  car 
riage  and  said,  "Oh,  dear,  dear!  my  boy 
doll,  Clarence  Emerson  Waterloo  Ned,  is 
going  to  sleep,  too!' 

And  Arabella  looked  into  her  doll  car 
riage  and  said,  "Oh,  dear,  dear!  my  dollies 
have  all  gone  to  sleep ! ' 

And  Araminta  looked  into  her  doll  car 
riage  and  said,  "Oh,  dear,  dear!  my  dollies 
have  all  gone  to  sleep,  too ! " 

And  Arabella  said,  "  Let's  make  a  bed 
in  the  grass  and  play  our  dollies  were  little 
birds,  and  we're  the  mother  birds;  that  will 
wake  them  up,  I  'm  sure." 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  what  fun  that 


LOST    DOLLY    STORY       15 

will  be!  Yes,  that  will  wake  them  up, 
I  'm  sure." 

So  Arabella  pulled  a  big  pile  of  grass,  and 
Araminta  pulled  a  big  pile  of  grass.  And 
Arabella  put  her  three  dolls  on  her  pile  of 
grass,  and  Araminta  put  her  three  dolls  on 
her  pile  of  grass,  and  they  played  they  were 
little  birds. 

And  Arabella  said,  "I'm  a  big  mother 
bird,  and  I  must  fly  away  and  get  food 
for  my  little  birds."  And  she  spread 
out  her  little  arms  and  pretended  to  fly 
away. 

And  Araminta  said,  "I'm  a  big  mother 
bird,  and  I  'm  going  to  fly  away."  And 
she  spread  out  her  little  arms  and  pretended 
to  fly  away. 

And  Arabella  kept  saying,  "Chirp! 
Chirp ! '  like  a  bird.  And  Araminta  kept 
saying,  "Chirp!  Chirp!"  like  a  bird.  And 
they  flew  all  around  the  yard. 


1 6        LOST    DOLLY    STORY 

Arabella  said,  "Now  I  '11  fly  back  to  my 
birdies." 

And  Araminta  said,  "Now  I  '11  fly  back 
to  my  birdies." 

But  Arabella  couldn't  find  her  little  birds, 
and  Araminta  could  n't  find  her  little  birds! 
Arabella  flew  and  chirped,  and  Araminta 
flew  and  chirped;  but  they  couldn't  find 
their  little  birds,  they  couldn't  find  their 
dollies ! 

And  Arabella  sat  down  on  the  ground 
and  began  to  cry;  she  cried  very  loud,  she 
screamed  and  she  yelled,  for  she  couldn't 
find  her  dollies! 

And  Araminta  sat  down  on  the  ground 
and  began  to  cry ;  she  cried  very  loud,  she 
screamed  and  she  yelled,  for  she  couldn't 
find  her  dollies! 

And  their  mother  came  to  the  window 
and  said,  "Stop  that  screaming,  Arabella! 
Stop  that  screaming,  Araminta!  What  are 


LOST    DOLLY    STORY        17 

you  screaming  for  all  the  forenoon  ? '  (She 
always  said  "all  the  forenoon.") 

And  Arabella  cried,  "  Oh,  I  've  lost  my 
dollies!  I've  lost  my  dollies!' 

And  Araminta  cried,  "  Oh,  I  've  lost  my 
dollies !  I  've  lost  my  dollies ! " 

And  their  mother  came  out  into  the  yard 
and  helped  them  look  for  their  dollies.  She 
looked,  and  she  looked,  and  she  looked  all 
around  the  front  yard  and  all  around  the 
back  yard,  and  at  last  she  found  the  dollies. 

There,  half  buried  in  green  grass  deep, 
She  found  the  dollies,  all  sound  asleep. 
Cora  Dora  Eloise  Bell, 
Flora  Nora  Eloise  Nell, 
Genevieve  Augusta  Margaret  Millie, 
Dorothy  Eleutheria  Juliet  Tillie, 
Herbert  Stanley  Waterloo  Fred, 
Clarence  Emerson  Waterloo  Ned, — 
All  sound  asleep. 


ROMPING    PLAYS 
DID  YOU  EVER  PLAY  UNTIL  YOU 
WERE  TIRED,  AND  GO  TO  SLEEP 
OUT  OF  DOORS? 

ONE  morning  Arabella  and  Araminta 
had  been  playing  cars  with  the  chairs 
in  the  dining-room. 

Arabella  had  six  chairs  in  a  row  for  her 
train,  and  Araminta  had  six  chairs  in  a  row 
for  her  train,  and  they  made  a  great  deal 
of  noise ! 

Arabella  had  a  little  bell,  and  she  would 
ring  it  just  as  loud  as  she  could  ring  itj  and 
Araminta  had  a  little  bell,  and  she  would 
ring  it  just  as  loud  as  she  could  ring  it 5 
and  they  made  a  great  deal  of  noise ! 

Arabella  would  say,  "Chu!  Chu!  Chu!" 
and  Araminta  would  say  "Chu!  Chu! 
Chu!"  Oh,  but  didn't  they  make  a 
noise!" 

And  Arabella  had  a  flag,  and  sometimes 


ROMPING    PLAYS  19 

she  would  wave  it  and  call,  "All  aboard!55 
at  the  top  of  her  little  voice. 

And  Araminta  had  a  little  flag,  and 
sometimes  she  would  wave  it  and  call,  "All 
aboard!55  Oh,  but  didn5t  they  make  a 
terrible  noise! 

And  Arabella  had  a  little  horn,  and 
sometimes  she  would  blow  it  just  as  loud 
as  she  could  blow  it,  and  say,  "Look  out 
for  the  cars  when  the  whistle  blows!55 

And  Araminta  had  a  little  horn,  and 
sometimes  she  would  blow  it  just  as  loud 
as  she  could  blow  it,  and  say,  "Look  out 
for  the  cars  when  the  whistle  blows!55 

Oh,  but  they,  didn't  they,  didn't  they, 
didn5t  they  make  a  noise! 

And  their  mother  came  to  the  door  and 
said,  "You  really  must  stop  this  noise, 
dears;  you  really  must  stop  this  noise.  I 
can't  let  you  make  such  a  noise  in  the 
house  all  the  forenoon.55  (She  always  said 


ao  ROMPING    PLAYS 

"all  the  forenoon.")  "You  better  run 
out  of  doors  and  play,  dears.  It's  much 
better  for  my  little  daughters  to  run  and 
play  in  the  sun." 

So  they  put  the  chairs  in  their  places, 
and  put  away  all  of  their  toys, — those 
dear  little  orderly  girls, — and  their  mother 
tied  on  their  sun-hats  and  they  ran  out  of 
doors  to  play,  ran  out  into  the  sunshine 
to  play. 

But  first  they  sat  on  the  doorstep  to  rest 
for  a  minute  or  two.  And  while  they  were 
resting  there,  two  beautiful  butterflies  flew 
right  by  their  little  faces. 

And  Arabella  jumped  up,  and  away 
she  ran  after  one  butterfly  5  and  Araminta 
jumped  up,  and  away  she  ran  after  the 
other  butterfly. 

And  they  chased  them  up  hill,  and  they 
chased  them  down  hill,  and  they  chased 
them  up  hill,  and  they  chased  them  down 


ROMPING    PLAYS  21 

hill,  and  they  chased  them  up  hill,  and  they 
chased  them  down  hill,  and  away  out  into 
the  field  of  poppies.  And  the  butterflies 
lit  on  the  poppies. 

And  down  went  Arabella's  hat  over  one 
butterfly,  and  down  went  Araminta's  hat 
over  the  other  butterfly.  And  Arabella 
put  her  hand  very  carefully  and  slowly 
under  her  hat  and  caught  her  butterfly, 
and  Araminta  put  her  hand  very  carefully 
and  slowly  under  her  hat  and  caught  her 
butterfly.  And  they  held  them  very  gently, 
and  went  back  up  the  hill  to  the  house. 

Just  then  their  mother  came  to  the 
window  and  called  to  them:  "I  want 
you  to  stop  running,  dears.  It  isn't  good 
for  little  girls  to  run  every  minute  all  the 
forenoon." 

And  Arabella  smiled  up  at  her,  and  threw 
her  a  kiss,  and  called,  "I've  caught  a  beau 
tiful  butterfly,  mamma;  but  I'm  going  to 


22,  ROMPING    PLAYS 

let  it  go.  See!5  She  opened  her  dear 
little  hand  and  the  butterfly  flew  away. 

And  Araminta  called,  "I've  caught  a 
beautiful  butterfly,  too,  mamma;  but  Pm 
going  to  let  it  go.  See ! '  She  opened  her 
dear  little  hand  and  her  butterfly  flew  away. 

And  Arabella  lay  down  on  the  grass  to 
rest,  under  a  shady  tree,  and  Araminta  lay 
down  to  rest  under  a  shady  tree.  There 
were  two  little  birds  in  the  tree.  They  lay 
very  still  watching  the  birds,  and  the  first 
thing  Arabella  knew,  and  before  she  knew 
it,  she  was  sound  asleep.  And  the  first 
thing  Araminta  knew,  and  before  she  knew 
it,  she  was  sound  asleep. 

And  out  under  the  trees  they  slept,  and 
slept,  and  slept,  and  slept,  until  their  papa 
came  home  to  dinner. 

And  when  their  papa  came  home  he 
looked,  and  looked,  and  looked,  and  looked, 
till  he  found  them  under  the  tree,  and  he 


ROMPING    PLAYS  2,3 

pulled  their  dear  little  noses,  and  woke 
them  up.  He  said,  "Wake  up,  Arabella! 
wake  up,  Araminta!  Papa  is  home,  and 
dinner  is  on  the  table." 

And  Arabella  sat  up  and  looked  around, 
so  sleepy,  and  Araminta  sat  up  and  looked 
around,  so  sleepy. 

"I  don't  know  where  I  am,"  said 
Arabella. 

"I  don't  know  where  I  am,"  said 
Araminta.  They  had  forgotten  they  went 
to  sleep  out  of  doors,  under  the  tree. 

And  their  father  took  hold  of  their  hands 
and  led  them  in  to  dinner. 

Dear  Arabella  and  dear  Araminta,  they 
had  romped  so  hard,  they  had  played  so 
hard,  that  they  went  to  sleep  before  dinner. 


SHOPPING-DAY  STORY 

JUST  LISTEN,  OH  LISTEN, WHAT 
WONDERFULLY  FORTUNATE 
LITTLE  GIRLS! 

ONE  day  Arabella's  and  Araminta' s 
mamma  said,  "Oh,  my  dears,  you 
must   have    some    new    dresses;    I 
can't  have  you  go  looking  so  shabby!55 

So  Arabella  went  down  town  with  her 
mother,  and  Araminta  went  down  town 
with  her  mother,  and  she  bought  them 
each  six  new  dresses. 

She  bought  Arabella  a  white  dress  with 
blue  stripes,  and  she  bought  Araminta  a 
blue  dress  with  white  stripes.  And  she 
bought  Arabella  a  pink  dress  with  white 
dots,  and  she  bought  Araminta  a  white 
dress  with  pink  dots.  She  bought  Ara 
bella  a  red  and  white  checked  dress,  and 
she  bought  Araminta  a  white  and  red 
checked  dress.  And  she  bought  Arabella 


SHOPPING-DAY    STORY      25 

a  green  dress  with  white  flowers,  and  she 
bought  Araminta  a  white  dress  with  green 
flowers.  And  she  bought  Arabella  a  white 
dress,  all  white  with  a  blue  silk  sash;  and 
she  bought  Araminta  a  blue  dress,  all  blue 
with  a  white  silk  sash.  And  she  bought 
Arabella  a  pink  silk  dress,  all  pink  with 
little  gold  buttons;  and  she  bought  Ara 
minta  a  pink  silk  dress,  all  pink  with  little 
silver  buttons. 

And  when  Arabella's  six  little  dresses 
were  bought  and  rolled  into  six  little  pack 
ages,  and  when  Araminta' s  six  little  dresses 
were  bought  and  rolled  into  six  little  pack 
ages,  their  mother  said,  "Oh,  my  dears, 
you  must  have  some  new  shoes  and 
slippers!" 

So  they  went  to  a  shoe-store.  And  she 
bought  Arabella  a  pair  of  red  slippers,  and 
she  bought  Araminta  a  pair  of  yellow  slip 
pers.  And  she  bought  Arabella  a  pair  of 


26      SHOPPING-DAY    STORY 

black  slippers,  and  she  bought  Araminta  a 
pair  of  brown  slippers.  And  she  bought 
Arabella  a  pair  of  blue  shoes,  and  she 
bought  Araminta  a  pair  of  red  shoes.  And 
she  bought  Arabella  a  pair  of  white  shoes, 
and  she  bought  Araminta  a  pair  of  white 
shoes,  too. 

And  then  their  mother  said,  "Oh,  my 
dears,  you  must  each  have  two  new  hats." 

So  they  went  to  a  milliner's.  And  she 
bought  Arabella  a  white  hat  with  blue  rib 
bons,  and  she  bought  Araminta  a  white 
hat  with  pink  ribbons.  And  she  bought 
Arabella  a  brown  hat  with  brown  feathers, 
and  she  bought  Araminta  a  dark  blue  hat 
with  dark  blue  feathers. 

And  then  their  mother  said,  "Oh,  my 
dears,  I  think  we  had  better  go  home,  and 
not  stay  down  town  buying  things  for  you 
all  the  forenoon."  (She  always  said  "all 
the  forenoon.") 


SHOPPING-DAY    STORY      27 

And  so  they  went  home.  And  their 
father  took  Arabella  on  one  knee  and 
Araminta  on  the  other  knee,  and  he  said, 
"What  good  little  girls  you  should  be, 
dears,  when  you  have  so  many  new  things ! 5 

And  Arabella  hugged  her  father,  and 
said,  "I  will  be  good,  I  will  be  good,  I  will 
be  good.55 

And  Araminta  hugged  her  father,  and 
said,  "I  will  be  good,  I  will  be  good,  I  will 
be  good.55 

And  their  mother  said,  "Well,  I5m 
sure  I  hope  you  will;  for  I  sometimes  get 
tired  when  you  tease,  tease,  tease  all  the 
forenoon.55 


A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS 
THE  DEAR  MAMMA,  THE  DEAR 
PAPA,  THEY  PLAY  LIKE  CHIL 
DREN  ALL  DAY  LONG 

ONE  morning,  at  the  breakfast- table, 
Arabella's  and  Araminta's  papa 
leaned  back  in  his  chair,  and  said, 
"  I  'm  not  going  to  my  office  to-day,  I  'm 
going  to  have  a  vacation;  and  I  believe 
I'll  go  to  the  woods  and  stay  all  day,  and 
play  like  a  boy." 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands,  and 
said,  "Oh,  oh!  may  I  go  too?  May  I 
go  too?" 

And  Araminta  clapped  her  hands,  and 
said,  "Oh !  may  I  go  too ?  May  I  go  too ? ' 

And  their  mother  laughed,  and  said, 
"Well,  I  shouldn't  mind  going  myself." 

And  their  papa  said,  "Yes,  you  may  all 
go  with  me  if  you  will  be  good." 

So  after  breakfast  their  mother  packed  a 


A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS     29 

basket  of  things  to  eat,  to  take  to  the  woods 
for  their  luncheon. 

There  was  cold  chicken,  and  there  were 
tarts,  and  pie,  and  bread  and  butter,  and 
jelly,  and  cakes,  and  apples,  and  bananas, 
and  pears,  and  crackers,  and  nuts,  and 
candy,  and  a  great  many  things  besides; 
for  their  papa  had  said,  "People  are  always 
hungry  when  they  go  to  the  woods.  I 
remember  I  was  when  I  was  a  boy,  and  I 
expect  to  be  to-day.53 

So  Arabella  and  Araminta  went  down  the 
road  and  through  the  pasture  and  into  the 
woods, — the  great  green  beautiful  woods, 
— where  they  were  to  stay  all  day  with  their 
father  and  mother. 

And  they  came  to  a  little  brook  that 
bubbled  and  bubbled,  and  talked  to  the 
pebbles  and  the  shining  sand  in  the  bottom. 

And  Arabella  and  Araminta  sat  down  on 
the  bank  of  the  brook,  and  what  do  you 


30     A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS 

think  those  little  rogues  did?  Why,  they 
pulled  off  their  shoes  and  stockings  and 
waded  right  into  the  brook! 

Arabella  took  hold  of  Araminta' s  hand, 
and  Araminta  took  hold  of  Arabella's  hand, 
and  they  waded  right  into  the  brook! 

And  their  mamma  and  papa  laughed, 
and  sat  on  the  bank  and  watched  them. 

And  Arabella  picked  up  bright  little 
stones  that  the  water  ran  over,  and  put  them 
in  her  apron;  and  so  did  Araminta. 

Oh,  it  was  such  fun  to  wade  in  the 
water,  to  wade  in  the  cool,  cool  water! 

And  their  papa  said:  "I'd  like  to  wade 
in  the  brook,  myself.  I  used  to  wade  when 
I  was  a  boy." 

And  their  mamma  said:  "I  used  to 
wade  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  I  'd  like  to 
wade,  myself." 

And  what  do  you  think?  That  funny 
mamma  and  that  funny  papa  just  pulled 


A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS     31 

off  their  shoes  and  stockings  and  waded 
right  into  the  brook! 

And  Arabella  laughed  and  laughed  to 
see  her  funny  big  mamma  and  her  funny 
big  papa  wading  around  in  the  brook. 

And  Araminta  laughed  and  laughed  to 
see  her  funny  big  mamma  and  her  funny 
big  papa  wading  around  in  the  brook. 

And  they  all  took  hold  of  hands, — Ara 
bella  and  Araminta  were  in  the  middle, — 
and  they  waded  way  down  the  brook, — 
way,  way  down  the  brook,  hand  in  hand. 

And  all  at  once  their  papa  said:  "Hush! 
hush!  listen!  look!  What  a  large  flock 
of  blackbirds,  my  dears!  Just  see,  they 
have  come  down  to  drink!5 

Yes,  all  along  by  the  edge  of  the  brook 
the  blackbirds  had  come  down  to  drink, 
just  dozens  and  dozens  and  dozens!  The 
edge  of  the  brook  was  quite  black,  there 
were  so  many  of  them. 


32     A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS 

But  Arabella  could  not  keep  still,  and 
Araminta  could  not  keep  still  5  they  were 
so  astonished  and  pleased. 

,  "Oh!   oh!   oh!"  cried  Arabella,  "how 
many,  many  little  birds!" 

"Oh!  oh!  oh!"  cried  Araminta,  "how 
many,  many,  many  little  birds!" 

And  the  blackbirds,  of  course,  were 
afraid,  and  they  flew  away  with  a  great 
noise  of  their  wings.  Up,  up  through 
the  branches  of  the  trees,  and  away,  away, 
away,  until  they  looked  like  a  big  black 
cloud.  Then  they  all  turned  and  waded 
back  up  the  brook,  holding  each  other's 
hands. 

And  they  all  put  on  their  shoes  and 
stockings,  and  their  mother  said,  "Now  we 
will  have  our  luncheon." 

So  they  all  sat  around  on  the  ground 
and  ate  their  luncheon  out  of  the  basket. 
And  oh,  but  didn't  it  taste  good,  that 


A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS     33 

luncheon  in  the  woods!  And  after  they 
had  finished  their  luncheon  what  do  you 
suppose  they  did? 

Well,  first  they  picked  flowers,  a  great 
many  flowers,  to  take  home.  The  woods 
were  full  of  flowers,  all  kinds  of  the  love 
liest  flowers!  They  put  the  bouquets  of 
flowers  in  the  edge  of  the  brook  so  they 
would  keep  fresh  until  they  went  home. 
And  then  they  were  tired,  so  they  all  sat 
down  to  rest. 

And  Arabella  looked  up  through  the 
green,  green  leaves  of  the  trees  and  saw 
the  blue  sky,  and  she  said:  "Oh,  these  are 
such  beautiful  woods!  I  love  to  come  to 
the  woods  and  stay  all  day,  and  play  with 
my  father  and  mother.55 

And  Araminta  looked  up  through  the 
green,  green  leaves  of  the  trees  and  saw 
the  blue  sky,  and  she  said:  "Oh,  these  are 
such  beautiful  woods!  I  love  to  come  to 


34     A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS 

the  woods  and  stay  all  day,  and  play  with 
my  father  and  mother." 

And  their  papa  said,  "Now  keep  still, 
my  dears,  and  I  '11  tell  you  a  little  story." 

And  this  was  the  story:  — 

"  There  were  once  two  little  gray  squirrels, 

dears, 

That  lived  in  a  hollow  tree, 
A  beautiful  tree  like  this,  dears, 
That  shelters  you  and  me." 

"Oh,  oh!"  cried  Arabella,  "I  wish  I 
could  see  those  little  gray  squirrels ! " 

"Oh,  oh!"  cried  Araminta,  "I  wish  I 
could  see  those  little  gray  squirrels!" 

And  their  papa  looked  at  their  mamma 
and  laughed,  and  said,  "Keep  still,  keep 
still,  so  I  can  go  on  with  my  story:  — 

"And  once  two  sweet  little  girls,  dears, 
Came  into  the  woods  to  stay; 


A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS     35 

And  they  saw  those  gray  little  squirrels, 

dears, 
As  they  ran  about  at  play." 

"Oh,  where,  where,  where?"  cried  Ara 
bella,  looking  around.  "Where  did  we 
see  them?' 

"Oh,  where,  where,  where?"  cried  Ara- 
minta.  "Where  did  we  see  them?" 

And  their  papa,  that  funny  papa,  pointed 
up  in  the  tree  over  their  heads,  and  there, 
sure  enough,  on  the  end  of  a  branch,  were 
two  little  gray  squirrels! 

And  the  little  squirrels  looked  at  Ara 
bella,  and  they  looked  at  Araminta,  down 
through  the  leaves  of  the  trees.  Their 
eyes  were  bright,  as  bright  as  beads,  and 
they  had  great  bushy  tails,  great,  great  big 
bushy  tails. 

"Oh,  oh,  oh!"  cried  Arabella,  "I  see 
you,  you  dear  little  squirrels!" 


36     A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS 

"Oh,  oh,  oh!"  cried  Araminta,  "I  see 
you,  you  dear  little  squirrels!" 

And  the  squirrels  hopped  along  on  the 
branch,  and  they  made  a  queer  little  noise. 
It  was  talking,  their  papa  told  them.  I 
suppose  it  was,  don't  you? 

I  think  those  little  squirrels  were  saying, 
"I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Arabella;  Pm  glad 
to  see  you,  Araminta.  I  'm  glad  you  came 
to  the  beautiful  woods  to  stay  all  day  and 
play." 

But  after  a  minute  or  two  the  squirrels 
ran  away  down  into  the  hollow  tree,  and 
then  what  do  you  think  happened? 

Their  mamma  said,  in  a  whisper,  "Keep 
still,  Arabella,  keep  still,  Araminta,  and  look 
over  there  by  the  brook  on  that  bush." 

And  they  looked,  and  there  was  a  bright 
red  bird,  as  red  as  red  could  be,  with  only 
black  on  the  tips  of  his  wings.  And  he 
flew  right  down  into  the  brook,  and  he 


A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS     37 

splashed  the  water  with  his  bright  wings, 
and  splashed  and  dipped  again ! 

And  Arabella  held  her  hand  tight  over 
her  mouth  to  keep  from  screaming,  she 
was  so  astonished  and  pleased;  and  so  did 
Araminta. 

Arabella  had  never  seen  a  red  bird  before, 
and  Araminta  had  never  seen  a  red  bird 
before. 

And  when  the  red  bird  had  finished  his 
bath,  he  stood  on  a  stone  in  the  sun;  and 
his  red  back  shone  in  the  sun.  And  he 
tipped  his  head  first  on  one  side,  and  then 
on  the  other,  and  he  looked  at  Arabella  and 
he  looked  at  Araminta.  I  think  he  was 
saying:  "I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Arabella; 
I  'm  glad  to  see  you,  Araminta.  I  'm  glad 
you  came  to  the  woods  to  stay  all  day 
and  play." 

And  then  he  flew  away,  up,  up  through 
the  leaves  of  the  trees  and  away. 


38     A  STORY  IN  THE  WOODS 

Then  Arabella  and  Araminta  went  on  a 
long,  long  walk  with  their  papa  and  mamma, 
down  through  the  beautiful  woods,  and  they 
saw  many  other  lovely  things.  But  at  last 
it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  so  they  went 
home. 


SOAP-BUBBLE   STORY 
THE    DEAR    DARLINGS    PLAY   A 
PRETTY    RAINY-DAY    PLAY 

AD  one  day  it  rained  while  the  sun 
was  shining  5  the  sun  was  shining 
while  it  rained. 

And  Arabella  looked  out  of  the  window, 
and  said,  "Oh,  see,  Araminta  !  see  the  sun 
in  the  rain! 

And  Araminta  looked  out  of  the  window, 
and  said,  "Oh,  see,  Arabella!  see  the  sun 
in  the  rain!" 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands,  and 
said:  " Oh,  Araminta,  see,  see,  see!  There 
is  a  rainbow,  a  great  big  rainbow,  shining 
in  the  sky!" 

And  Araminta  clapped  her  hands,  and 
said:  "Oh,  Arabella,  see,  see,  see!  There 
is  a  rainbow,  a  great  big  rainbow,  shining 
in  the  sky!" 


40        SOAP-BUBBLE    STORY 

And  their  mother  heard  them,  and  she 
came  and  looked  out  of  the  window,  and 
she  saw  the  rainbow,  from  way  over  there 
to  way  over  there,  shining  in  the  sky. 

And  Arabella  said:  "Oh,  isn't  it 
beautiful,  beautiful?  Just  see  the  colors, 
mamma!" 

And  Araminta  said:  "Oh,  isn't  it 
beautiful,  beautiful?  Just  see  the  colors, 
mamma!" 

And  their  mother  said:  "Yes,  dears,  it  is 
certainly  beautiful  I  will  tell  you  what  we 
will  do :  I  will  show  you  how  you  can  make 
some  little  rainbows  right  here  in  your  own 
house." 

And  Arabella  said,  "Why,  mamma,  how 
could  you  make  little  truly  rainbows  right 
here  in  our  own  house?" 

And  Araminta  said,  "Why,  mamma, 
how  could  you  make  little  truly  rainbows 
right  here  in  our  own  house?" 


SOAP-BUBBLE    STORY        41 

And  their  mother  said,  "Just  wait  and 
you  will  see.93 

Then  she  went  and  found  two  pipes, 
two  white  clay  pipes,  and  she  got  two 
bowls  of  water  with  some  soapsuds  in  them. 
And  she  gave  a  pipe  to  Arabella,  and  a  pipe 
to  Araminta,  and  she  showed  them  how  to 
blow  bubbles,  how  to  blow  soap-bubbles 
with  some  water  and  a  pipe.  And  into  the 
bubbles  the  colors  came, — all  the  beautiful 
colors  of  the  rainbow. 

And  Arabella  blew  a  bubble  as  large  as 
a  teacup,  and  Araminta  blew  a  bubble  as 
large  as  a  little  bowl! 

And  Arabella  screamed  with  joy,  and 
said:  "Oh,  oh,  oh!  I  do  see  a  rainbow,  a 
little  truly  rainbow  in  my  bubble,  mamma! " 

And  Araminta  screamed  with  joy,  and 
said:  "Oh,  oh,  oh!  I  do  see  a  rainbow,  a 
little  truly  rainbow  in  my  bubble,  mamma! " 

And  their  mother  said:  "Yes,  yes,  I  see, 


42        SOAP-BUBBLE    STORY 

dears;  but  look  at  your  dresses,  do,  dears; 
they're  as  wet  as  wet  as  can  be!  You  must 

J 

go  right  and  take  them  off.55 

And  oh,  that  mischief  Arabella !  and  oh, 
that  mischief  Araminta !  —  what  do  you 
think  they  did?" 

Why,  they  took  their  dresses  off,  and 
took  off  their  little  skirts,  so  nothing  was 
upon  them  except  their  little  shirts! 

And  then  they  blew  soap-bubbles,  more 
and  more  soap-bubbles,  \vith  nothing  else 
upon  them  except  their  little  shirts! 

And   their    mother    laughed,  and   said: 

o       7 

"You  precious  little  dears,  I  wish  I  had 
your  picture  as  you  look  just  now." 

And  Arabella  danced  about  the  room, 
and  laughed  and  clapped  her  hands;  and 
Araminta  danced  about  the  room,  and 
laughed  and  laughed  and  clapped  her 
hands. 

Without  a  bit  of  trouble  Arabella  blew 


SOAP-BUBBLE    STORY        43 

a  bubble;  and  she  blew  another  bubble, 
and  she  blew  another  bubble,  and  she  blew 
another  bubble;  without  a  bit  of  trouble 
she  blew  another  bubble. 

And  without  a  bit  of  trouble  Araminta 
blew  a  bubble;  and  she  blew  another 
bubble,  and  she  blew  another  bubble,  and 
she  blew  another  bubble;  without  a  bit  of 
trouble  she  blew  another  bubble. 


SLEEPY-TIME    STORY 

WHEN  BEDTIME  CAME  THEY 
WERE  WIDE  AWAKE,  SO  WERE 
THEIR  TWO  LITTLE  KITTIES 

AD  one  night  Arabella's  and  Ara- 
minta's  mamma  was  sewing,  and 
their  papa  was  reading  his  news 
paper.  And  there  was  a  fire  in  the  grate, 
a  warm  bright  fire  in  the  grate. 

And  Arabella  sat  on  the  rug  before  the 
fire,  and  Araminta  sat  on  the  rug  before 
the  fire. 

And  Arabella  was  playing  with  her  little 
white  kitty,  and  Araminta  was  playing  with 
her  little  black  kitty. 

And  Arabella's  little  white  kitty's  name 
was  Annabel,  and  Araminta's  little  black 
kitty's  name  was  Lillabel. 

Arabella  had  a  little  red  ball  fastened  to 
a  long  string,  and  Araminta  had  a  little  blue 
ball  fastened  to  a  long  string.  Arabella 


SLEEPY-TIME    STORY        45 

would  roll  her  ball,  and  her  little  white 
kitty  would  run  and  jump  for  it.  And 
Araminta  would  roll  her  ball,  and  her  little 
black  kitty  would  run  and  jump  for  it. 

The  kittens  were  so  cunning  and  funny, 
and  they  were  having  such  a  splendid  time ! 

Sometimes  when  Arabella's  kitty  would 
run  very  fast,  or  jump  very  high,  Arabella 
would  laugh  until  she  tumbled  right  over 
on  the  floor. 

And  sometimes  when  Araminta' s  kitty 
would  run  very  fast,  or  jump  very  high, 
Araminta  would  laugh  until  she  would 
tumble  right  over  on  the  floor. 

Oh,  they  were  having  a  splendid  time! 

But  all  at  once  their  mamma  looked  up 
from  her  sewing,  and  said:  "Good-night, 
Arabella.  Good-night,  Araminta.  The 
clock  is  on  the  stroke  of  eight." 

And  their  papa  looked  up  from  his 
paper,  and  said:  "Yes,  good-night,  Ara- 


46        SLEEPY-TIME    STORY 

bella.  Good-night,  Araminta.  The  clock 
is  on  the  stroke  of  eight.5' 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  must  we  go  to 
bed  right  now?55 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  must  we  go 
to  bed  right  now?55 

And  their  papa  said:  "Yes,  indeed;  yes, 
indeed.  Good-night,  Arabella.  Good 
night,  Araminta.  The  clock  is  on  the 
stroke  of  eight.55 

Always,  when  it  was  bedtime,  their  papa 
and  mamma  would  say:  "Good-night,  Ara 
bella.  Good-night,  Araminta.55 

And  sometimes  they  were  good,  and 
sometimes  they  were  bad;  but  they  always 
ran  away  to  bed. 

And  their  dear  mamma  always  went  with 
them  and  tucked  them  in  and  kissed  them, 
then  came  away  downstairs  and  left  them. 
And  sometimes  they  were  good,  and  some 
times  they  were  bad;  but  they  always  went 
to  sleep. 


SLEEPY-TIME    STORY        47 

But  to-night  their  mamma  said, — 

"Run  and  get  your  nighties,  dears, 
And  get  each  a  flannel  gown, 
And  we'll  sit  and  rock  you  here, 
Till  you  go  to  sleepy-town.55 

And  Arabella  ran  upstairs  and  got  her 
nighty  and  her  little  flannel  gown.  And 
Araminta  ran  upstairs  and  got  her  nighty 
and  her  little  flannel  gown.  And  their 
mamma  undressed  Arabella,  and  their 
papa  undressed  Araminta. 

Arabella's  little  flannel  gown  was  red, 
and  Araminta' s  little  flannel  gown  was  pink. 
When  they  had  put  them  on  over  their 
nighties  they  were  just  as  warm  as  toast. 

Arabella's  kitty  was  playing  with  Ara 
minta' s  kitty  on  the  rug  before  the  fire. 
They  were  rolling  and  tumbling  and  chas 
ing  each  other,  and  they  looked  so  cunning 
and  sweet! 


48        SLEEPY-TIME    STORY 

And  Arabella's  mamma  took  Arabella 
on  her  lap,  and  Araminta's  papa  took  Ara- 
minta  on  his  lap. 

Arabella  said,  "Oh,  I  want  my  kitty  in 
my  lap,  mamma!" 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I  want  my 
kitty  in  my  lap,  papa!" 

So  they  jumped  down  and  caught  the 
kitties. 

Their  mamma  rocked  Arabella,  and  their 
papa  rocked  Araminta;  and  they  sang  to 
them,  — 

"Now  a  nice  little  rock, 
And  never  mind  the  clock, — 
Now  a  nice  little  rock, 
And  never  mind  the  clock!" 

And  they  sang  it  over,  and  over,  and  over: 

"Now  a  nice  little  rock, 
And  never  mind  the  clock, — 
Now  a  nice  little  rock, 
And  never  mind  the  clock!" 


SLEEPY-TIME    STORY        49 

And  Arabella  cuddled  in  her  mamma's 
arms,  and  hugged  her  little  kitty  close;  and 
Araminta  cuddled  in  her  papa's  arms,  and 
hugged  her  little  kitty  close. 

And  their  mamma  sang,  and  their  papa 
sang, — 

"Now  she   goes   to    sleepy-town,   sleepy- 
town,  sleepy-town; 
Cuddled  in  her  little  gown, 
Here  she  goes  to  sleepy-town." 

And  they  sang  it  over,  and  over,  and  over: 

"Now   she   goes    to   sleepy- town,    sleepy- 
town,  sleepy-town; 
Cuddled  in  her  little  gown, 
Here  she  goes  to  sleepy-town." 

And  very  soon  Arabella  could  only  just 
hear  her  mamma  singing,  and  very  soon 
Araminta  could  only  just  hear  her  papa 
singing,  "sleepy-town,  sleepy-town."  And 


50        SLEEPY-TIME    STORY 

soon  they  could  n't  hear  them  at  all.  They 
were  sound  asleep! 

And  their  mamma  looked  at  their  papa, 
and  said,  "Our  precious  little  dears  are  both 
sound  asleep/5 

And  their  papa  said,  "Yes,  our  little  pets 
have  both  reached  sleepy-town." 

And  Arabella's  mamma  carried  her  up 
stairs  and  put  her  in  her  little  bed,  and 
Araminta's  papa  carried  her  upstairs  and 
put  her  in  her  little  bed.  And  Arabella 
was  hugging  her  white  kitty  up  close  in  her 
arms,  and  Araminta  was  hugging  her  black 
kitty  up  close  in  her  arms.  And  the  kitties 
were  both  sound  asleep,  too. 

But  Araminta' s  kitty  and  Arabella's  kitty 
did  not  sleep  with  them  all  night, — oh,  no, 
indeed !  They  had  a  nice  little,  warm  little, 
soft  little  bed  down  in  the  basement,  close 
by  the  furnace. 

And  their  papa  took  the  kitties  out  of 


SLEEPY-TIME    STORY        51 

their  arms,  and  he  carried  them  down  to 
their  bed. 

And  Arabella  slept,  and  slept,  and  slept, 
and  slept,  and  slept.  And  Araminta  slept, 
and  slept,  and  slept,  and  slept,  and  slept. 

And  the  little  kitties,  in  their  soft  little 
bed,  slept,  and  slept,  too.  All  through  the 
long,  dark,  beautiful  night  they  slept. 

And  the  sun  came,  and  the  morning 
came,  and  it  was  another  day! 


PRETEND    PLAYS 

THEY  PLAY  FUNNY  PLAYS,  THE 
CUNNING  ROGUES,  AND  THEIR 
MOTHER  LAUGHS  TO  SEE  THEM 

AABELLA  was  always  pretending, 
and  Araminta  was  always  pretend 
ing,  to  be  something  or  somebody 
else  besides  the  dear  little  girl  she  was. 

One  morning  they  would  play  they  were 
ponies,  and  they  would  whinny,  and  neigh, 
and  kick,  and  try  to  act  like  ponies.  And 
perhaps  that  same  afternoon  they  would 
play  they  were  kittens.  And  they  would 
mew,  and  purr,  and  pretend  to  lap  up  milk. 
It  was  really  funny  to  see  them. 

Sometimes  they  said,  "I'm  a  little  lamb, 
— ba!  ba!  ba!  ba!"  i 

And  sometimes  they  said,  "I'm  a  great 
big  bear,'1  and  growled  like  a  bear. 

One  morning  when  the  apple-trees  were 
in  blossom  their  mamma  looked  out  of  the 


PRETEND    PLAYS  53 

window,  and  she  saw  Arabella,  and  she  saw 
Araminta,  dragging  a  great  bough  of  blos 
soms,  and  walking  about  the  yard.  And 
she  called  and  asked  them,  "What  are  you 
playing,  children?' 

And  they  said,  "Can't  you  guess  what 
we  are,  mamma?' 

And  Arabella  tossed  her  curls  and  shook 
her  bough  of  blossoms  out  behind  her,  and 
Araminta  tossed  her  curls  and  shook  her 
bough  of  blossoms  out  behind  her,  and 
they  said,  "Can't  you  guess  what  we  are, 
mamma?" 

But  their  mamma  said,  "No,  no,  I'm 
sure  I  cannot." 

And  Arabella  said:  "I'm  a  peacock 5 
I'm  a  beautiful  peacock.  Can't  you  see 
my  beautiful  tail?" 

And  Araminta  said:  "I'm  a  peacock; 
I'm  a  beautiful  peacock.  Can't  you  see 
my  beautiful  tail?" 


54  PRETEND    PLAYS 

And  their  mamma  laughed,  and  laughed, 
till  two  little  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks. 

Were  they  not  funny  little  girls  to  play 
they  were  peacocks,  and  use  a  bough  of 
blossoms  for  a  tail? 

And  some  days  they  dressed  up  in  their 
mother's  clothes  and  played  they  were  ladies, 
and  went  to  call  on  their  mother. 

I  wish  you  could  have  seen  them  as  they 
looked,  each  in  a  long  dress  of  their  mother's, 
with  a  bonnet,  and  a  veil,  and  a  cloak,  and 
a  pair  of  their  mother's  gloves!  They  cer 
tainly  did  look  funny. 

But  one  day  these  little  girls  were 
naughty,  naughty,  naughty!  They  ran 
away  all  dressed  in  their  mother's  clothes, 
and  went  to  one  of  the  neighbor's!  Their 
mamma  did  not  know  that  they  were  out 
of  the  house.  They  ran  away  without 
asking ! 

The  neighbor  they  went  to  see  was  a 


PRETEND    PLAYS  55 

lady  named  Mrs.  De  Long,  and  she  lived 
quite  a  way  down  the  street. 

And  Arabella  rapped  at  her  door,  and 
Araminta  rapped  at  her  door.  And  when 
she  came  to  the  door  she  was  greatly  sur 
prised  to  see  them.  She  could  not  keep  from 
laughing,  the  little  girls  looked  so  funny. 

But  she  said:  "I  am  sure  I  am  delighted 
to  see  you.  Won't  you  please  walk  into 
my  parlor?" 

So  they  went  into  the  parlor  with  Mrs. 
De  Long,  and  sat  in  her  parlor  chairs. 

And  Arabella  shook  out  her  dress,  and 
tried  to  look  very  old,  and  she  said:  "We 
thought  we  would  come  and  make  you  a 
call.  And  I  hope  you  are  very  well?" 

And  Araminta  said:  "Yes,  I  hope  you 
are  well.  It  is  a  nice  day,  isn't  it,  Mrs. 
De  Long?" 

They  tried  to  act  like  their  mother,  those 
dear  little  silly  girls. 


56  PRETEND    PLAYS 

And  Mrs.  De  Long  laughed,  and  said, 
"Oh,  yes,  I  am  very  well!" 

And  Arabella  said,  "I  think  we  had 
better  go  home  now." 

And  Araminta  said,  "Yes,  I  think  we 
had  better  go.  You  must  come  and  see 
us,  dear  Mrs.  De  Long,  and  stay  to  dinner, 
and  spend  the  evening." 

And  the  dear  little  goosies  went  down 
the  street,  and  every  one  laughed  who  saw 
them  5  yes,  every  one  laughed  who  saw  them. 

And  Arabella  said,  with  a  sigh:  "I  don't 
think  I  should  like  to  be  ladies  all  the  time; 
I  don't  like  these  long,  long  dresses,  they 
are  so  very  heavy." 

And  Araminta  said:  "I'm  sure  I  don't 
ever  want  to  get  big.  I  hope  I'll  stay  a 
little  girl  for  ever,  and  ever,  and  ever!' 


THE    HURT    DAY 

THIS  WAS  A  DAY  WHEN  EVERY 
THING  WENT  WRONG;  THERE 
ARE  SUCH  DAYS,  YOU  KNOW 

AABELLA  stood  on  one  side  of  her 
mother,  and  Araminta  stood  on  the 
other  side  of  her  mother.      Their 
mother  was  sitting  in  a  big  rocking-chair, 
and   she   had   a  picture-book  on   her   lap. 
She  was  showing  Arabella  the  pictures,  and 
she   was    showing   Araminta   the   pictures. 
And  all  at  once  she  rocked  on  Arabella's 
toes!      And    all    at   once   she   rocked   on 
Araminta' s  toes! 

And  Arabella  screamed,  and  hopped 
around  the  room;  and  Araminta  screamed, 
and  hopped  around  the  room.  Arabella 
hopped  on  one  foot,  and  then  on  the 
other;  and  Araminta  hopped  on  one  foot, 
and  then  on  the  other.  And  they  cried, 
and  they  cried,  and  they  cried. 


58  THE    HURT    DAY 

And  their  mother  laughed,  and  laughed, 
because  they  looked  so  funny.  But  she 
said:  "I'm  sorry  if  it  hurts  you  so,  my 
dears.  Run  and  get  the  little  boxes  that 
always  make  you  forget  your  little  hurts; 
for  I  can't  hear  you  cry  this  way  all  the 
forenoon." 

And  Arabella  ran  and  got  a  blue  box 
from  out  a  bureau  drawer,  and  Araminta 
ran  and  got  a  red  box  from  out  a  bureau 
drawer. 

And  Arabella  said,  "Mine  says,  cFor 
Arabella  when  she  cries.5" 

And  Araminta  said,  "Mine  says,  *For 
Araminta  when  she  cries." 

And  Arabella  sat  down  on  the  floor,  and 
Araminta  sat  down  on  the  floor;  and  they 
put  their  boxes  on  the  floor  in  front  of 
them. 

What  do  you  suppose  were  in  those 
boxes  ?  Come,  guess  what  were  in 


THE    HURT    DAY  59 

those  boxes !      You  never  can  guess,  I  am 
sure. 

And  Arabella  opened  her  box,  and  Ara- 
minta  opened  her  box,  and  took  out  — 
what  do  you  guess  it  was?  Well,  Arabella 
took  out  a  little  doll  all  dressed  in  blue,  and 
Araminta  took  out  a  little  doll  all  dressed 
in  red!  In  the  side  of  Arabella's  doll,  and 
in  the  side  of  Araminta' s  doll,  there  was  a 
tiny  key.  And  Arabella  turned  the  key  in 
her  doll,  and  she  turned  it,  and  she  turned 
it,  and  she  turned  it.  And  Araminta  turned 
the  key  in  her  doll,  and  she  turned  it,  and 
she  turned  it,  and  she  turned  it. 

Then  they  stood  their  dolls  on  the 
floor,  and  what  do  you  think?  Arabella's 
doll  began  to  dance,  and  Araminta' s  doll 
began  to  dance!  And  they  danced,  and 
they  danced,  and  they  danced,  and  they 
danced! 

And  Arabella  laughed  until  she   rolled 


55 
55 


60  THE    HURT    DAY 

over  on  the  floor,  and  Araminta  laughed 
until  she  rolled  over  on  the  floor. 

Arabella  had  forgotten  all  about  her 
toes,  and  Araminta  had  forgotten  all  about 
her  toes! 

And  their  mother  said:  "Now,  put  away 
your  dolls,  dears;  you  will  break  them  if 
you  keep  them  dancing  all  the  forenoon. 
(She  always  said  "all  the  forenoon. 
Wasn't  she  a  funny  mamma?) 

And  so  Arabella  put  her  doll  in  its  blue 
box,  and  Araminta  put  her  doll  in  its  red 
box,  and  they  put  them  away  in  the  bureau 
drawer. 

And  their  mother  said:  "Now  go  out 
of  doors  and  play,  dears;  I  can't  have  you 
in  the  house  all  the  forenoon." 

And  Arabella  put  on  her  little  sun-hat, 
and  Araminta  put  on  her  little  sun-hat,  and 
they  ran  out  of  doors.  They  went  down 
the  path  to  the  front  gate  and  out  into  the 


THE    HURT    DAY  61 

road.  And  their  mother  had  said,  "Never 
go  into  the  road,  dears;  and  don't  expect 
me  to  watch  you  from  the  window." 

But  naughty,  naughty  Arabella  disobeyed 
her  mother;  and  naughty,  naughty  Araminta 
disobeyed  her  mother.  They  went  out  of 
the  gate  and  way  down  the  road,  and  they 
came  to  a  little  brook  that  ran  under  a  stone 
wall.  And  there  were  a  great  many  geese  in 
the  brook, —  as  many  as  twenty,  I'm  sure. 

And  Arabella  said,  "Sho-o-o,  sho-o-o!" 
to  the  geese. 

And  Araminta  said,  "Sho-o-o,  sho-o-o! ' 
to  the  geese. 

And  the  geese  lifted  up  their  heads  and 
squawked  at  Arabella,  and  the  geese  lifted 
up  their  heads  and  squawked  at  Araminta. 

And  Arabella  said,  "  Oh,  I  'm  so  scared ; 
let's  run!" 

And  Araminta  said,  "  Oh,  I  'm  so  scared ; 
let's  run!" 


62  THE    HURT    DAY 

And  Arabella  ran  as  fast  as  her  little  legs 
could  take  her,  and  Araminta  ran  as  fast  as 
her  little  legs  could  take  her;  and  all  of 
those  twenty  geese  ran  after  them! 

And  Arabella  ran,  and  the  geese  ran; 
and  Araminta  ran,  and  the  geese  ran! 

And  the  geese  lifted  up  their  heads  and 
squawked  at  Arabella,  and  the  geese  lifted 
up  their  heads  and  squawked  at  Araminta! 

And  Arabella  fell  down  and  hurt  her 
knee,  and  Araminta  fell  down  and  hurt  her 
knee.  And  a  big  goose  caught  hold  of 
Arabella's  dress,  and  a  big  goose  caught 
hold  of  Araminta's  dress ;  and  they  pulled, 
and  they  pulled,  and  they  pulled !  And  a 
boy  came  by  who  was  a  good  boy,  and 
drove  the  geese  away. 

And  Arabella  got  up,  and  cried:  "Oh, 
my  knee,  my  knee,  how  it  smarts!" 

And  Araminta  got  up,  and  cried:  "Oh, 
my  knee,  my  knee,  how  it  smarts!" 


THE    HURT    DAY  63 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  I'll  mind  my 
mamma  after  this!" 

And  Araminta  said,  "  Oh,  I  '11  mind  my 
mamma  after  this!' 

And  they  did  for  a  long,  long  time. 


CHRISTMAS    STORY 
HERE  COMES  DEAR,  GOOD  OLD 
SANTA     IN     THE     GOOD     OLD- 
FASHIONED    WAY 

IT  was  winter,  and  cold,  very  cold, — 
boo!  boo! — very  cold!  It  made  you 
shiver  and  shake  to  step  out  of  doors, 
just  shiver  and  shake  to  step  out  of  doors. 

And  Arabella  said,  "I'm  glad  it's  win 
ter,  and  cold,  because  Christmas  will  come 
before  long,  I  'm  sure." 

And  Araminta  said,  "  Yes,  Christmas  will 
come  before  long,  1 5m  sure." 

And  there  were  more  cold  days,  and  more 
cold  days,  and  more  cold  days. 

And  then  there  came  a  day  that  was  a 
very  little  warmer,  and  it  began  to  snow. 
And  it  snowed  and  snowed  and  snowed 
and  snowed  and  snowed.  Right  out  of  the 
sky  the  little  white  flakes  came  chasing  each 
other,  faster  and  faster  and  faster  and  faster, 


CHRISTMAS   STORY          65 

till  the  ground  was  all  covered  and  white. 
And  still  it  kept  snowing  and  snowing  and 
snowing!  And  the  snow  got  deeper  and 
deeper  and  deeper  and  deeper,  till  great 
drifts  were  piled  all  around, — the  fence 
was  covered,  and  the  rose-bush;  and  you 
couldn't  see  the  path! 

And  Arabella  stood  at  the  window  and 
watched  the  little  white  flakes  come  chasing 
each  other  right  out  of  the  sky. 

And  Araminta  stood  at  the  window  and 
watched  the  little  white  flakes  come  chasing 
each  other  right  out  of  the  sky. 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  little  hands 
and  laughed,  and  said:  "Oh,  I'm  glad 
that  it's  snowing,  for  now  Christmas  will 
come,  I'm  sure;  now  Christmas  will  come, 
I'm  sure!" 

And  Araminta  clapped  her  little  hands 
and  laughed,  and  said:  "Oh,  I'm  glad 
that  it's  snowing,  for  now  Christmas  will 


66          CHRISTMAS    STORY  1 

come,  I'm  sure;  now  Christmas  will  come, 
I'm  sure!" 

And  every  morning,  when  she  awoke, 
Arabella  would  say,  uls  it  Christmas  to-day, 
mamma?" 

And  every  morning,  when  she  awoke, 
Araminta  would  say,  "Is  it  Christmas 
to-day,  mamma?" 

And  their  mamma  would  say:  "Not 
yet,  not  yet.  You  must  wait  for  a  few 
days  more." 

And  Arabella  would  say:  "Will  Santa 
Glaus  come  down  our  chimney,  mamma, 
with  a  pack  like  the  one  in  the  picture  ?  " 

And  Araminta  would  say:  "Will  Santa 
Claus  come  down  our  chimney,  mamma, 
with  a  pack  like  the  one  in  the  picture  ? ' 

And  their  mamma  said:  "Well,  I  hope 
Santa  will  remember  you,  dears.  He  did 
not  pass  over  this  home  last  year.  Oh, 
yes,  I  think  he'll  remember!" 


CHRISTMAS    STORY          67 

And  the  days  went  by,  and  the  days 
went  by,  till  one  day  their  mamma  said: 
"  To-night,  Arabella,  is  Christmas  Eve, — 
to-night,  Araminta,  is  Christmas  Eve,  and 
to-morrow  is  Christmas  Day." 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands  and 
danced  around  the  room  and  cried,  "Oh, 
goody,  goody,  goody!" 

And  Araminta  clapped  her  hands  and 
danced  around  the  room  and  cried,  "Oh, 
goody,  goody,  goody!5 

And  Arabella  said,  "Shall  we  hang  our 
little  stockings  up  by  the  fireplace  to-night 
for  Santa  to  fill,  mamma?" 

And  Araminta  said:  "Shall  we  hang  our 
little  stockings  up  by  the  fireplace  to-night 
for  Santa  to  fill,  mamma?" 

And  their  mother  said:  "Yes,  yes,  you 
may  hang  them  up  to-night,  dears."  And 
they  did. 

Arabella  hung  her  two  dear  little  stock- 


68  CHRISTMAS    STORY 

ings  on  the  right  side  of  the  fireplace,  and 
Araminta  hung  her  two  dear  little  stockings 
on  the  left  side  of  the  fireplace.  Close  up 
to  the  fireplace  those  four  little  stockings 
were  hung  so  Santa  could  easily  find  them. 

And  then  Arabella  went  to  bed  and 
slept,  and  slept,  and  slept.  And  Araminta 
went  to  bed  and  slept,  and  slept,  and 
slept. 

But  while  Arabella  and  Araminta  were 
sleeping,  dear  Santa  was  wide  awake;  and 
all  through  the  night  he  was  very  busily 
working. 

The  moon  was  shining,  and  all  over  the 
ground  the  snow  lay  white,  and  it  was  cold, 
very  cold, — bo!  bo!  It  made  you  shiver 
and  shake, — bo!  bo! — it  made  you  shiver 
and  shake.  It  was  a  beautiful  night  for 
Santa!  | 

He  came  in  a  sleigh  of  silver  and  gold, 
with  six  white  reindeers, — at  least  so  I'm 


CHRISTMAS    STORY          69 

told  (I  never  sat  up  to  see), — with  six 
white  reindeers  all  covered  with  bells,  with 
dear  little  bells  of  silver  and  gold  that 
tinkle,  and  tinkle,  and  tinkle. 

Of  course  it's  all  true.  Don't  you 
doubt,  it's  all  true.  How  else  could  he 
come?  He  comes  every  year;  how  else 
could  he  come? 

And  while  Arabella  slept,  and  while  Ara- 
minta  slept,  he  came  in  his  sleigh  of  silver 
and  gold,  with  the  six  white  reindeers,  right 
up  to  their  door,  and  he  rapped  tap,  tap, 
and  he  rang  the  bell;  but  no  one  woke  up 
or  heard  him!  It  was  a  beautiful  night 
for  Santa! 

It  was  cold  and  clear,  and  the  moon 
shone  bright.  Just  the  kind  of  a  Christ 
mas  to  give  delight  to  a  jolly  old  soul  like 
Santa. 

And  Arabella's  and  Araminta's  papa  had 
put  a  ladder  up  by  the  house  to  make  it 


7o          CHRISTMAS    STORY 

easy  for  Santa.  And  he  ran  up  the  ladder 
and  stood  on  the  roof.  And  he  tiptoed 
around  until  he  found  the  chimney,  and  he 
laughed  as  he  looked  down  the  chimney, 
and  he  said:  "The  door  is  locked  and  all 
are  asleep,  so  as  usual  I  '11  go  down  the 
chimney.55 

And  he  looked  up  at  the  moon,  and 
shook  his  curls,  and  said:  " Arabella  and 
Araminta  are  good  little  girls.  Don't 
forget,  dear  Santa,  they  are  good  little 
girls.55  Then,  pop,  he  was  gone  down 
the  chimney! 

And  there  by  the  fireplace  he  found  Ara 
bella^  two  little  stockings  and  Araminta5s 
two  little  stockings,  and  he  filled  them  all 
full,  so  full  they  ran  over,  and  things  lay 
around  on  the  floor.  Then  up  through  the 
chimney  he  went  as  quick  as  a  wink,  much 
quicker  than  you  could  possibly  think.  And 
he  ran  down  the  ladder  and  jumped  into  his 


CHRISTMAS    STORY          71 

sleigh,  and  spoke  to  the  reindeers  and  rode 
away.  It  was  a  beautiful  night  for  Santa! 

And  Arabella  slept  and  slept,  and  Ara- 
minta  slept  and  slept.  And  then  it  was 
Christmas  morning! 

And  Arabella  woke  up  and  said :  "Merry 
Christmas,  Araminta !  Oh,  do  you  suppose 
dear  Santa  did  come?' 

And  Araminta  said:  "Merry  Christmas, 
Arabella!  Oh,  do  you  suppose  dear  Santa 
did  come?" 

And  they  jumped  out  of  their  little  beds 
and  put  on  their  little  flannel  gowns,  and 
ran  downstairs  as  fast  as  they  could  go. 
And  there  by  the  fireplace  the  four  little 
stockings  were  hanging,  full, — full  to  the 
toes  and  running  over! 

And  Arabella  said:  "Oh,  Santa  has 
been  here!  Just  see,  see,  see  my  stocking, 
Araminta!" 

And   Araminta  said:    "Oh,    Santa  has 


72          CHRISTMAS    STORY  I 

been  here !     Just  see,  see,  see  my  stocking, 
Arabella!" 

And  then  they  looked  at  their  presents. 
Arabella  had  a  beautiful  big  new  doll,  and 
Araminta  had  a  beautiful  big  new  doll. 
And  Arabella  had  a  little  set  of  dishes,  and 
Araminta  had  a  little  set  of  dishes.  And 
Arabella  had  a  story-book,  a  beautiful  story 
book,  and  Araminta  had  a  story-book,  a 
beautiful  story-book.  And  Arabella  had  a 
little  white  muff  and  tippet  all  for  herself, 
and  Araminta  had  a  little  white  muff  and 
tippet  all  for  herself.  And  Arabella  had 
a  rocking-horse,  —  she  was  very  fond  of 
horses,  —  and  Araminta  had  a  rocking- 
horse, —  she  was  very  fond  of  horses. 
And  Arabella  had  a  big  red  ball,  and 
Araminta  had  a  big  red  ball.  And  Ara 
bella  had  a  box  of  candy  and  nuts,  and 
Araminta  had  a  box  of  candy  and  nuts. 
And  Arabella  had  a  little  silver  thimble, 


CHRISTMAS    STORY          73 

and  Araminta  had  a  little  silver  thimble. 
And  they  had  other  things,  a  great  many 
other  things,  —  I  cannot  begin  to  tell  you. 
And  all  day  long  they  played  with  their 
presents, — yes,  all  Christmas  Day  they 
played  with  their  presents.  It  was  a  very 
merry  Christmas. 


THE    GREAT    SURPRISE  || 

DID  ANYTHING  MORE  JOYFUL 
EVER,  EVER  HAPPEN  TO  TWO 
LITTLE  JOYFUL  GIRLS? 

ONE  morning  while  Arabella  and  Ara- 
minta  were  dressing,  their  papa  came 
to  the  foot  of  the   stairs  and  called 
to  them:    "Come,  hurry  and   dress,  Ara 
bella, — hurry  and  dress,  Araminta!    I  have 
a  great  surprise  for  you  as  soon  as  you  have 
eaten  your  breakfast.5' 

"Oh,  I  wonder  what  it  is! "  said  Arabella. 
"Oh,  I  wonder  what  it  is! "  said  Araminta. 
And  they  hurried  fast  in  dressing,  you  may 
very  well  believe. 

Why,  Arabella  hurried  so  fast  that  she 
put  her  dress  on  wrong  side  out!  And 
Araminta  hurried  so  fast  that  she  put  her 
dress  on  wrong  side  out!  And  oh,  but 
they  did  look  funny!  Can  you  think  how 
funny  they  looked? 


THE    GREAT    SURPRISE      75 

And  Arabella  kept  saying,  "Oh,  I  won 
der  what  the  great  surprise  can  be!' 

And  Araminta  kept  saying,  "Oh,  I  won 
der  what  the  great  surprise  can  be!5 

At  last  they  were  dressed,  and  they 
ran  downstairs,  jumping  and  hopping  and 
laughing. 

And  their  mother  held  up  her  hands,  and 
said:  "My  goodness  me,  Arabella;  you've 
put  your  dress  on  wrong  side  out!  My 
goodness  me,  Araminta,  you've  put  your 
dress  on  wrong  side  out!' 

And  their  father  laughed,  and  said:  "I'll 
tell  you  what  to  do,  Arabella;  I'll  tell  you 
what  to  do,  Araminta.  Make  a  wish,  and 
then  put  your  dresses  on  right  side  out,  and 
perhaps  you  '11  get  your  wish." 

So  Arabella  put  her  dress  on  right  side 
out,  and  she  wished  that  the  great  surprise 
would  be  to  go  for  a  long,  long  drive.  And 
Araminta  wished  that  grandmamma  would 


76      THE    GREAT    SURPRISE 

come  on  a  visit  to  see  them.  But  it  was 
neither  of  these,  and  nothing  like  these,  that 
the  great  surprise  was  to  be. 

Their  mamma  said:  "If  I'm  not  mis 
taken,  half  an  hour  from  now  you  will  be 
two  of  the  happiest  little  girls  in  the  world." 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands  and 
danced  around  the  breakfast-table,  and 
Araminta  clapped  her  hands  and  danced 
around  the  breakfast-table. 

And  their  mother  said:  "Sit  down  and 
eat  your  breakfast.  I  can't  keep  the  table 
standing  all  the  forenoon.  (She  always  said 
"all  the  forenoon.") 

So  Arabella  ate  her  breakfast,  and  Ara 
minta  ate  her  breakfast,  but  they  kept  say 
ing:  "What  can  it  be?  what  can  it  be? 
Papa,  what  is  the  great  surprise?  I  can't 
wait  until  I  finish  my  breakfast." 

It  was  such  a  good  breakfast,  too.  They 
had  strawberries  and  cream,  and  baked  pota- 


THE    GREAT    SURPRISE      77 

toes,  and  beefsteak,  and  hot  rolls  and  butter, 
and  other  things  that  are  nice. 

And  their  papa  would  nod  his  head  at 
their  mamma,  and  say,  "I  think  they  are 
going  to  like  it,  don't  you?' 

And  their  mamma  would  nod  her  head 
at  their  papa,  and  say,  "I  think  they  are 
going  to  like  it,  don't  you?' 

Arabella  and  Araminta  were  so  excited 
they  couldn't  sit  still  at  all. 

And  after  breakfast  their  mamma  went 
out  of  the  room,  and  when  she  came  back 
she  had  two  parcels.  And  she  gave  one  to 
Arabella,  and  she  gave  one  to  Araminta. 
And  oh,  they  were  so  excited! 

Arabella  cut  the  string  of  her  parcel,  and 
Araminta  cut  the  string  of  her  parcel;  and 
what  do  you  suppose  were  in  them? 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  is  this  the 
great  surprise?"  She  looked  a  little 
disappointed. 


78      THE    GREAT    SURPRISE         | 

And  Araminta  said,  "  Oh,  is  this  the 
great  surprise?"  She  looked  a  little  dis 
appointed,  too. 

In  the  bundles  were  two  little  dresses, 
—  and  they  had  so  many  dresses,  these 
fortunate  little  girls! 

But  their  papa  said:  "Put  them  on,  my 
dears,  and  ask  no  questions.  This  is  only 
part  of  the  great  surprise." 

Arabella's  dress  was  dark  red.  And  when 
she  put  it  on  she  cried:  "Oh,  what  a  funny 
dress!  How  long  it  is,  and  how  funny!" 

And  Araminta  cried:  "Oh,  what  a  funny 
dress!  What  a  long,  funny  dress!  "  Ara 
minta5  s  dress  was  dark  blue. 

And  their  mamma  went  out  of  the  room, 
and  when  she  came  back,  what  do  you  think 
she  had  in  her  hands?  Two  little  caps, 
two  dear  little  caps.  And  one  was  red  like 
Arabella's  dress,  and  one  was  blue  like 
Araminta' s  dress. 


THE    GREAT    SURPRISE      79 

And  Arabella  put  the  red  cap  on,  and 
Araminta  put  the  blue  cap  on. 

And  Arabella  opened  her  brown  eyes 
wide,  and  gave  a  cry  of  delight.  And 
Araminta  opened  her  blue  eyes  wide,  and 
gave  a  cry  of  delight. 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  oh,  oh,  I  believe 
I  know  what  the  great  surprise  is  now!5 

And  Araminta  said,  "  Oh,  oh,  oh,  I 
believe  I  know  what  the  great  surprise 
is  now!" 

But  their  father  said:  "Nonsense!  I'm 
sure  you  don't!" 

And  their  mother  went  out  of  the  room, 
and  when  she  came  back  she  had  a  little 
red  whip  in  one  hand,  and  a  little  blue  whip 
in  the  other.  And  she  gave  one  to  Arabella, 
and  she  gave  one  to  Araminta. 

And  then  you  should  have  heard  those 
little  girls  scream! 

You  should  have  seen  how  they  danced 


80      THE    GREAT    SURPRISE 

and    squealed    and    capered    around    that 
room! 

"Oh,  I  know,  I  know,  I  know  what  it 
is! "  cried  Arabella,  as  she  snapped  her  whip 
and  capered  around. 

"Oh,  I  know,  I  know,  I  know  what  it 
is!55  cried  Araminta,  as  she  snapped  her 
whip  and  capered  around. 

Out  on  the  drive,  just  then,  in  front  of 
the  house,  they  heard  a  tramp,  tramp,  tramp. 
What  do  you  suppose  it  was? 

Arabella  ran  to  the  door,  and  Araminta 
ran  to  the  door;  and  there, — and  there  on 
the  drive  were  two  dear  little  ponies,  the 
smallest,  prettiest  ponies  you  ever  saw! 

And  one  pony  was  black,  as  black  as  ink; 
and  one  pony  was  white,  as  white  as  milk. 

And  on  the  black  pony  was  a  dark  red 
saddle,  and  on  the  white  pony  was  a  dark 
blue  saddle. 

And  Arabella  cried:  "Oh,  papa,  papa, 


THE    GREAT    SURPRISE      81 

papa,  are  they  ours,  —  our  very  own  to 
keep?" 

And  Araminta  cried:  "Oh,  papa,  papa, 
papa,  are  they  ours,  —  our  very  own  to 
keep?" 

And  their  papa  said:  "Yes,  my  darling 
little  daughters,  these  darling  little  ponies 
are  your  very  own  to  keep." 

And  he  put  Arabella  on  her  black  pony, 
and  he  put  Araminta  on  her  white  pony. 
And,  oh,  did  n't  Arabella  look  pretty  in  her 
dark  red  riding  dress  on  her  black  pony? 
And  didn't  Araminta  look  pretty  on  her 
white  pony  in  her  dark  blue  riding  dress? 

And  then  their  papa  led  the  ponies, 
and  Arabella  and  Araminta  learned  to  ride. 
And  their  dear  mamma  stood  in  the  door 
and  smiled,  and  looked  very  happy. 

And  they  rode,  and  they  rode,  and  they 
rode,  —  all  around  the  front  yard,  and  all 
around  the  back  yard,  and  down  the  road 


82      THE    GREAT    SURPRISE 

a  very  little  way.  And  their  father  let  go 
of  the  bridles,  and  they  rode  all  alone  by 
themselves!  And  the  ponies  were  very 
gentle,  as  gentle  as  kittens. 

So  Arabella  and  Araminta  learned  to  ride. 
And  after  that  they  rode  their  ponies  almost 
every  day. 

And  this  was  the  great  surprise !  Was  n't 
it  a  great  surprise  j  a  splendid,  delightful 
surprise ! 


SUNDAY    STORY 

IT    WAS    A    BEAUTIFUL    DAY,  A 
DAY  TO   BE   HAPPY  AND    GOOD 

AD  one  day  Arabella  went  to  Sun 
day  School,  and  one  day  Araminta 
went  to  Sunday  School.  It  was 
Sunday,  you  know,  and  summer,  you  know, 
and  they  went  to  Sunday  School. 

It  was  a  cool  day,  and  the  sun  shone 
bright  and  the  sky  was  blue,  and  little  white 
clouds  were  sailing.  And  Arabella  and 
Araminta  went  to  Sunday  School.  They 
went  through  a  green  lane  and  through  a 
green  pasture  and  through  a  green  wood  to 
Sunday  School. 

Arabella  held  Araminta's  hand,  and  Ara 
minta  held  Arabella's  hand,  and  they  went 
to  Sunday  School. 

As  they  went  down  the  green  lane,  the 
little  birds  in  the  trees  were  singing,  and  the 


84  SUNDAY    STORY  1 

sun  was  bright,  and  the  air  was  cool,  and 
the  sky  was  blue,  and  little  white  clouds 
were  sailing. 

And  as  they  went  through  the  green  pas 
ture  there  were  many  sheep,  and  six  little 
lambs  running  about.  And  Arabella  was 
not  afraid  of  the  sheep  and  the  lambs,  and 
Araminta  was  not  afraid  of  the  sheep  and 
the  lambs.  And  a  little  lamb  ran  up  to 
Arabella  and  said,  "Baa!  baa!"  And  a 
little  lamb  ran  up  to  Araminta  and  said, 
"Baa!  baa!"  And  Arabella  patted  a  little 
lamb  on  the  head,  and  Araminta  patted  a 
little  lamb  on  the  head. 

And  the  old  mother  sheep  said  "Baa! 
baa!"  which  meant  "Run  along  to  Sunday 
School,  Arabella;  run  along  to  Sunday 
School,  Araminta,  don't  stop  and  play  with 
my  babies."  And  so  they  went  on  hand 
in  hand. 

And  they  came  to  a  pool  of  water  in  the 


SUNDAY    STORY  85 

pasture.  And  Arabella  leaned  over  and 
looked  into  the  pool  of  water,  and  Araminta 
leaned  over  and  looked  into  the  pool  of 
water. 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  I  can  see  my 
face  in  the  water,  Araminta!" 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I  can  see  my 
face  in  the  water,  Arabella!" 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  I  can  see  you 
in  the  water,  too,  Araminta!' 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I  can  see  you 
in  the  water,  too,  Arabella!" 

And  a  little  bird  came  down  to  the  edge 
of  the  pool  to  drink, — right  down  to  the 
edge  of  the  pool  to  drink.  And  he  would 
drink  and  lift  up  his  little  head,  and  then  he 
would  drink  again,  and  lift  up  his  little  head. 

And  Arabella  said,  "Oh,  I  can  see  the 
dear  little  bird  in  the  water,  Araminta!' 

And  Araminta  said,  "Oh,  I  can  see  the 
dear  little  bird  in  the  water,  Arabella!' 


86  SUNDAY    STORY 

And  the  little  bird  looked  across  the  pool 
at  Arabella,  and  at  Araminta.  And  he  put 
his  little  head  on  one  side,  and  said,  "Chee- 
chee!  Chee-chee!"  which  meant,  "Run 
along  to  Sunday  School,  Arabella;  run 
along  to  Sunday  School,  Araminta.55  And 
so  they  went  on  hand  in  hand. 

And  the  sun  was  bright,  and  the  air  was 
cool,  and  the  sky  was  blue,  and  little  white 
clouds  were  sailing. 

And  then  they  came  into  the  green  wood, 
and  the  air  was  sweet  with  violets,  the  ground 
was  blue  with  violets.  All  under  the  trees 
the  violets  grew. 

And  Arabella  picked  violets  until  her  little 
hands  were  full,  and  Araminta  picked  vio 
lets  until  her  little  hands  were  full,  and 
then  they  went  on  to  Sunday  School.  On 
through  the  little  wood  they  walked,  until 
they  came  to  the  church  that  stood  in  the 
edge  of  the  wood. 


SUNDAY    STORY  87 

It  was  a  little  white  church  with  a  tall 
steeple;  and  the  people  in  the  church  were 
singing. 

"Oh,  we're  late!"  said  Arabella. 

"Oh,  we're  late!"  said  Araminta,  "for 
the  people  in  the  church  are  singing!" 

The  little  birds  sang, 

And  the  lambs  were  white, 

The  pool  was  clear, 

And  the  sun  was  bright; 

But  the  people  in  the  church  were  singing! 


ANIMAL-CRACKER  STORY 

AND  NOW  THEY  HAVE  A  FUNNY 
FEAST  AND  TAKE  A  LONG,  LONG 
RIDE 

ONE  morning  at  breakfast,  Arabella 
leaned  back  in  her  high-chair,  and 
said:  "Oh,  dear,  I'm  not  hungry! 
I  can't  eat  any  breakfast!" 

And  Araminta  leaned  back  in  her  high- 
chair,  and  said:  "Oh,  dear,  I'm  not  hun 
gry!  I  can't  eat  any  breakfast  either!" 

And  their  mother  said:  "Never  mind, 
I  know  something  you  can  eat,  dears ;  you 
needn't  think  you  are  going  without  eating 
all  the  forenoon."  (She  always  said  "all 
the  forenoon.") 

And  after  breakfast  their  papa  drove 
around  to  the  front  gate  in  the  carriage. 
And  Arabella  got  into  the  carriage,  and 
Araminta  got  into  the  carriage,  and  their 
mamma  got  into  the  carriage  5  and  they  all 


ANIMAL-CRACKER  STORY     89 

went  down  town  to  a  store.  And  part  of 
the  time  Arabella  sat  with  her  papa  on  the 
front  seat  and  held  the  reins,  and  part  of 
the  time  Araminta  sat  on  the  front  seat 
with  her  papa  and  held  the  reins. 

And  when  they  came  to  the  store  their 
papa  jumped  out  of  the  carriage  and  went 
in,  and  they  all  sat  and  waited. 

And  when  their  papa  came  out  of  the 
store  he  had  two  little  brown  paper  bags, 
and  he  gave  one  to  Arabella  and  one  to 
Araminta.  And  then  he  got  into  the  car 
riage,  and  they  all  went  on  a  long,  long, 
beautiful  drive. 

And  Arabella  peeped  into  her  little  brown 
paper  bag,  and  Araminta  peeped  into  her 
little  brown  paper  bag;  and  what  do  you 
suppose  they  saw?  What  do  you  guess 
were  in  the  bags? 

Arabella  bounced  up  and  down  on  the 
seat,  and  said,  "Oh,  goody,  goody,  goody! ' 


90     ANIMAL-CRACKER  STORY 

And  Araminta  bounced  up  and  down 
on  the  seat,  and  said,  "Oh,  goody,  goody, 
goody!55 

What  do  you  guess  were  in  those  bags? 
Why,  there  were  cows,  and  horses,  and 
pigs,  and  sheep,  and  goats,  and  donkeys, 
and  elephants,  and  rhinoceroses,  and  hip 
popotamuses,  and  kangaroos,  and  zebras, 
and  dogs,  and  cats,  and  birds  in  those 
little  paper  bags!  Of  course  they  were 
animal  crackers !  You  guessed  it,  of  course 
you  did! 

And  Arabella  said:  "Oh,  I  like  animal 
crackers!  I  can  eat  them  all.  I  can  eat 
all  of  these  animals,  I  know  that  I  can.55 

And  Araminta  said:  "Oh,  I  like  animal 
crackers!  I  can  eat  them  all.  I  can  eat 
all  these  animals,  I  know  that  I  can.55 

And  Arabella  ate  a  cow,  and  Araminta 
ate  a  pig.  And  Arabella  ate  an — an  ele 
phant,  and  Araminta  ate  a  — dog.  And 


ANIMAL-CRACKER  STORY     91 

Arabella  ate  a — horse,  and  Araminta  ate 
a — a  hippopotamus !  And  Arabella  bit  off 
the  leg  of  a  cat,  and  Araminta  bit  off  the 
head  of  a — a — kangaroo!  And  Arabella 
ate  a  sheep,  and  Araminta  ate  a — donkey! 
And  Arabella  ate  another  hippopotamus, 
and  Araminta  ate  another — elephant,  until 
at  last  the  little  paper  bags  were  empty! 

And  their  mamma  said:  "Well,  for  little 
girls  that  could  n't  eat  any  breakfast,  I  think 
you  have  done  very  well,  dears.  I  think 
you  will  get  along  now  until  dinner." 

And  their  papa  gave  a  little  jump,  and 
said:  "Don't  eat  me,  Arabella!  Don't  eat 
me,  Araminta!  If  you  can  eat  an  elephant, 
I'm  afraid  you'll  eat  me,  too."  (He  pre 
tended  to  be  afraid.) 

And  Arabella  opened  her  little  mouth, 
and  said:  "I  will;  I  am  going  to  swallow 
you  whole !  "  • 

And  Araminta  opened  her  little  mouth, 


92     ANIMAL-CRACKER  STORY 

and  said:  "I  will;  I  am  going  to  swallow 
you  whole ! ' 

And  their  papa  gave  a  little  jump,  and 
said:  "What  will  mamma  do  if  you  swal 
low  me  whole?  What  will  mamma  do?'5 

And  Arabella  said:  "We'll  swallow  her, 
too.  We'll  swallow  you  both!" 

And  Araminta  said:  "We'll  swallow  her, 
too.  We'll  swallow  you  both!" 

And  those  silly  little  girls,  they  ground 
their  little  teeth  and  opened  their  little 
mouths  and  pretended  to  swallow  their 
father  and  mother! 

And  their  papa  squealed  a  little  squeal, 
and  said:  "I'm  not  an  animal  cracker! 
Don't  eat  me,  Arabella!  Don't  eat  me, 
Araminta!  I'm  not  an  animal  cracker!" 

And  their  mamma  squealed  a  little  squeal, 
and  said:  "I'm  not  an  animal  cracker! 
Don't  eat  me,  Arabella!  Don't  eat  me, 
Araminta!  I'm  not  an  animal  cracker!" 


ANIMAL-CRACKER  STORY     93 

You  should  have  heard  those  little  girls 
laugh.  They  had  a  great  deal  of  fun, — a 
great  deal  of  fun 5  but  they  didn't  eat  their 
father,  and  they  didn't  eat  their  mother. 
Of  course  they  didn't  eat  them;  they  just 
pretended,  you  know! 

And  they  had  a  long,  long  beautiful  ride, 
and  then  they  went  home,  and  dinner  was 
ready.  And  Arabella  was,  oh,  so  hungry! 
and  Araminta  was,  oh,  so  hungry!  It  was 
strange,  after  all  those  animal  crackers,  how 
very,  very  hungry  they  were. 


THE   BIRTHDAY   PARTY 

GOOD-BY,  ARABELLA,  GOOD-BY, 
ARAMINTA.  WE  HOPE  YOU  WILL 
HAVE  MANY  HAPPY  BIRTHDAYS 

AD  the  days  went  by,  and  the  weeks 
went  by,  and  the  months  went  by, 
and  a  year  went  by,  and  our  dear 
Arabella  was   five  years  old,  and  our  dear 
Araminta  was  five  years  old.     Their  birth 
day  came    on   the   very  same  day,  because 
they  were  twins,  you  know. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day  in  June,  a  warm, 
bright,  beautiful  day  in  June  5  and  it  was 
their  birthday. 

And  what  do  you  suppose  they  had? 
Why,  they  had  a  party,  a  birthday  party, 
out  under  the  trees  on  the  lawn.  It  was 
Arabella's  party,  and  it  was  Araminta's  party. 
And  there  were  five  little  girls  and  five  little 
boys  invited  to  come  to  the  party.  And 
they  were  to  have  such  a  beautiful  time! 


THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY       95 

At  half-past  two  the  party  came,  and 
stayed  till  half-past  five. 

And  Arabella  wore  a  white  dotted  muslin 
dress,  and  her  little  arms  and  her  neck  were 
bare.  And  she  wore  a  pink  sash,  and  little 
pink  bows  on  her  shoulders.  And,  oh,  she 
did  look  so  pretty,  and  sweet,  and  dear! 

And  Araminta  wore  a  white  dotted  mus 
lin  dress,  and  her  little  arms  and  neck  were 
bare.  And  she  wore  a  blue  sash,  and  lit 
tle  blue  bows  on  her  shoulders.  And,  oh, 
she  did  look  so  pretty,  and  sweet,  and 
dear! 

And  when  it  was  time  for  the  children 
to  come, — for  the  children  to  come  to  the 
party, — Arabella  and  Araminta  stood  out 
by  the  gate,  stood  out  by  the  gate,  and 
waited.  And  up  the  road  the  children 
came, — the  five  little  girls  and  the  five 
little  boys, — all  running  and  skipping  and 
jumping. 


96       THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY 

And  Arabella  clapped  her  hands,  and 
said:  "Oh,  the  party  is  coming!  Araminta, 
see,  see,  the  party  is  coming!" 

And  Araminta  clapped  her  hands,  and 
said:  "Oh,  the  party  is  coming!  See,  see, 
the  party  is  coming!" 

And  Arabella  climbed  up  on  the  gate, 
and  waved  her  little  handkerchief.  "I  see 
you!"  she  called.  "I  see  you,  all  of  you, 
coming!" 

And  Araminta  climbed  up  on  the  gate, 
and  waved  her  little  handkerchief.  "I  see 
you!'  she  called.  "I  see  you,  all  of  you, 
coming!" 

And  up  through  the  gate  the  children 
came, — the  five  little  girls  and  the  five 
little  boys,  —  all  running  and  skipping  and 
jumping. 

There  were  Jamie  and  Josie  Browne,  and 
Martha  and  Nelly  Little,  and  dear  little 
Dorothy  Flint,  and  her  cousin  Margery 


THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY       97 

Allen,  and  Henry  and  Herbert  and  Freddy 
De  Long,  and  their  little  sister  Mabel.  And 
this  was  the  party. 

It  was  a  beautiful  day  in  June,  you 
remember,  a  warm,  bright,  beautiful  day 
in  June.  And  what  fun  they  had  at  that 
party! 

They  ran  about  on  the  lawn,  and  they 
played  all  the  games  they  knew.  And 
Arabella's  mamma,  and  Araminta's  mamma, 
came  out  on  the  lawn  and  told  them  some 
new  games  to  play,  and  showed  them  how 
to  play  them.  She  played  with  them,  just 
as  though  she  were  a  dear  little  girl  herself. 
And,  oh,  they  had  a  beautiful  time! 

And  then  came  the  loveliest  part  of  all, 
the  dinner, — the  birthday  dinner  out  under 
the  trees  on  the  lawn.  All  the  five  little 
girls  sat  on  one  side  of  the  table,  and  all 
the  five  little  boys  sat  on  the  other  side 
of  the  table,  and  Arabella  sat  at  one 


98       THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY 

end  of  the  table  in  her  high-chair,  and 
Araminta  sat  at  the  other  end  of  the  table 
in  her  high-chair.  And  then  the  dinner 
began. 

And  right  in  the  middle  of  the  table  were 
five  dear  little  cakes  with  candles  on  them, 
one  little  candle  on  each  little  cake.  And 
one  of  the  cakes  had  "Arabella"  printed 
on  it  in  candies,  in  little  pink  and  white 
candies.  And  one  of  the  cakes  had  "Ara 
minta"  printed  on  it  in  candies,  in  little 
pink  and  white  candies.  These  were  their 
birthday  cakes,  you  know,  their  dear  little 
birthday  cakes.  But  before  they  came  to 
the  cakes  they  had  other  things  that  were 
good  to  eat,  a  great  many  other  things. 
It  was  a  very,  very  nice  dinner.  And  up 
over  their  heads  were  the  green,  green 
boughs  of  the  trees,  and  up  in  the  trees 
the  dear  little  birds  were  singing  and  sing 
ing  and  singing. 


THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY       99 

And  the  five  little  boys,  and  the  five  little 
girls,  and  dear  Arabella,  and  dear  Araminta, 
were  eating  their  dinner,  and  laughing  and 
talking,  and  having  the  best,  best  time. 

And  then  such  a  funny  thing  happened, 
such  a  funny,  funny  thing  happened.  What 
do  you  suppose  it  was?  Why,  it  began 
to  rain!  But  that  isn't  funny  at  all,  you 
say,  to  have  it  rain  on  the  dinner.  But  it 
wasn't  truly  rain,  at  all,  only  a  shower  of 
flowers,  right  out  of  the  cherry-tree  above 
them,  came  falling  and  falling  and  falling 
all  over  the  heads  of  the  children,  all  over 
the  heads  of  the  party!  And  the  children 
laughed  with  delight,  and  held  up  their 
hands  and  caught  them. 

"Oh,  it's  raining  flowers!"  they  all 
cried,  and  held  up  their  hands  and  caught 
them. 

But  Arabella  pointed  up  in  the  tree  and 
laughed,  and  said:  "Oh,  I  see  my  naughty, 


ioo      THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY 

funny  papa  up  in  the  tree!  I  know  who 
tumbled  the  flowers  on  our  heads !  I  know ! 
I  know!  I  know!" 

And  Araminta  pointed  up  in  the  tree, 
and  said:  "Oh,  I  see  my  naughty,  funny 
papa  up  in  the  tree!  I  know  who  tumbled 
flowers  on  our  heads!  I  know!  I  know! 
I  know!" 

And  all  the  children  laughed  and  looked 
up  in  the  tree  and  pointed. 

"We  see  you  up  in  the  tree!"  they 
cried.  "We  see  you  up  there  in  the 
branches!  We  know  who  tumbled  the 
flowers  on  our  heads!  We  know!  we 
know!" 

And  then  that  funny  papa  sat  out  on 
a  bough  of  the  tree  and  sang  them  this 
song: — 

"I  should  not  think  a  turtle-dove 
Could  sit  up  in  a  tree, 


THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY      101 

And  hold  by  his  two  little  feet, 
While  making  melody. 

"  I  wonder  why  the  pigeons 

Have  never  learned  to  write; 
Such  bright-eyed,  clever  little  birds, 
I  really  think  they  might! 

"I  can't  think  why  a  cherry-tree 

Should  never  raise  a  pear, 
But  always  cherries,  cherries  red, 
A-bobbing  in  the  air. 

"I  don't  see  how  an  apple 

In  one  summer  can  learn  how 
To  grow  up  from  a  blossom 
And  hang  upon  a  bough. 

"What  would  you  do,  what  could  you  do, 

If  some  fine  summer  day 
The  leaves  should  all  be  faces, 
And  watch  you  while  you  play? 


102      THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY 

"Suppose  this  tree  should  change  its 
mind 

Before  another  spring, 
And  turn  into  a  giant. 

And  tell  us  everything?" 

And  the  children  all  cried:  "Tell  it 
again  !  tell  it  again !  " 

And  so  he  sang  it  again.  And  then 
he  jumped  down  from  the  tree,  while  all 
the  children  stood  about  and  laughed  and 
clapped  their  hands. 

And  then  the  dinner  was  over,  and  they 
played  more  games  5  and  Arabella's  and 
Araminta's  papa  played  with  them, — that 
dear  good  papa  played  with  them.  And 
they  had  a  splendid  time.  I  am  sure  they 
will  always  remember,  they  had  such  a 
splendid  time. 

And  then  it  was  half-past  five,  and  the 
party  went  home, — all  the  five  little  girls 


THE    BIRTHDAY    PARTY      103 

and  the  five  little  boys, — and  the  party 
was  over. 

And  that  night  when  Arabella  went  to 
bed,  she  stood  on  tiptoe  and  looked  in  the 
glass,  and  said:  "I'm  five  years  old,  I'm 
not  four  any  more 5  and  I'm  certainly, 
certainly  growing." 

And  Araminta  stood  on  tiptoe  beside 
Arabella,  and  looked  in  the  glass,  and  said : 
"  I  'm  five  years  old,  I  'm  not  four  any  more; 
and  I'm  certainly,  certainly  growing." 


These  Arabella  and  Araminta  stories, 
written  by  Gertrude  Smith,  were  printed 
during  December,  1895,  by  John  Wilson 
and  Son,  at  the  University  Press,  Cam 
bridge,  Massachusetts. 


ARABELLA  PICKED  A  POPPY 


IOAN°MWI"CHBOMC""D 

This  boot"  "BPT. 


-642F    MAR  2 


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